Noble Wolf (A BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (7 page)

"Come in," she called.

He opened the door slightly, sticking his head in. "Can I talk to Natasha out here for a moment?"

"Sure," she said, gesturing for the two of them to do whatever they needed.

"Thanks," he said, opening the door more to let Natasha out, before closing it behind him.

"What do you—"

She shut up as his lips met hers, his hand cupping her chin to lift it up to him.

At first there was surprise and shock in her reaction, but after a moment, she began to fall into it, her hands coming up around his neck. Fire rushed through his body as he stuck his tongue into her mouth, his hands wrapping around her waist, pushing her up against the wall on the other side of the hallway.

He caught himself before his hands went further, pulling away abruptly.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, trying to rein himself in, controlling his wolf and his human side at once. "I had to though. I needed to see if I was right about something."

"And were you?" she whispered, as if afraid to hear the answer.

"Completely."

Natasha

She stumbled back into Joanna's office as Bryce disappeared back down the stairs, not having uttered another word. His silver-gray eyes had been alight as he stared at her for several moments after kissing her, glowing with desire.

Her own chest was heaving as she tried to calm herself. That one brief kiss with Bryce had ignited her entire system as if it was a match put to tinder. The blaze had burned just as brightly and briefly before he had pulled away. Part of her wanted to call him back, to see if the second felt just as electrifying, terrifying, and exhilarating as the first. Something told her it would be like that for forever.

Forever.

That was a rather strong word to be bandying about in regard to someone she barely knew. But Natasha had to be honest. If whatever was going on with Bryce wasn't love at first sight, she had no idea what it was. The two of them meshed so well, melded together as if they were two parts of the same unit.

"Everything okay out there?" Joanna asked suspiciously as she closed the door behind her.

How could she answer that? Everything was perfect and in tatters at the same time. Her heart was alive, but her professional reputation was falling apart faster than she could blink. Less than a week at the new job and already kissing one of the employees who reported to her.

"Did he just kiss you?" Joanna said, rising up from her seat when Natasha failed to reply.

"That is far too mild of a word," she mumbled, sliding down into her chair, still in shock from what had happened. Had he kissed her? Or had it been mutual despite him doing the work?

"Well, how was it?" her boss prompted.

"What?"

"Was it good? Is he nice and gentle but with that little bit of urgency and demand that just makes you want to melt into his big, strong hands? I remember the first time Ethan kissed me," Joanna recalled, her eyes far away at that moment. "It was wonderful, and I forgot for a moment the entire world existed as he blew my mind, turning me into a pile of skin and bones who could barely stand up."

Her boss's eyes flicked down to abruptly focus on her, skewering her with a knowing gaze. "Kind of like the way you look right now," she said with a vicious smile.

Natasha was confused. This wasn't how her boss was supposed to react. She was supposed to yell and scream, and be upset that she was making out with the hired help.

"Why aren't you mad?" she asked, still trying to gain control of her voice and body.

"Mad? Why the hell would I be mad?" It was Joanna's turn to look confused.

"I just made out with one of the staff. Someone I'm normally in charge of and responsible for. That's a horrific breach of professional standards and ethics..." Natasha wasn't really sure what else to say at that point. She was going to lose her job. That much was clear. Even if Joanna didn't care, when she told Thomas—which she had to—he would fire her before she could say another word.

Then it would be the long, lonely trudge back to Seattle to admit defeat. Maybe, she mused, if I beg and plead enough, I can get my old job back. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she pictured the groveling that would be necessary for Dennis, her old boss, to hire her back on. It was not going to be pretty.

Breaking the news to her parents, who had not been in favor of this move in the first place, might be the worst part of it all. They had advised her "not to take the strange man's candy" as they had referred to the generous offer that Thomas had made her. So to go crawling back would be a desperate move on her part.

"Oh, Natasha dear. Nobody is going to fire you for making out with Bryce. Least of all me! I'm married to one of those security dorks," she said with a chuckle, waving her hand as if that made it all fine.

"But when Thomas finds out he'll get rid of me for sure," she protested, unsure of why Joanna was so unconcerned.

"Trust me, he won't care at all as long as everything runs smoothly. He has," Joanna hesitated, "bigger things on his plate than two of his employees falling for each other."

"Are you sure?"

"Surer than sure can be!"

"Okay, but please don't tell anyone. Just because you understand doesn't mean that the rest of the staff will. I haven't been here long enough. I don't want my professionalism and leadership to be undermined already."

"Well, I won't tell anyone, but word seems to get around this place pretty quickly, so I would expect people to know fairly fast," Joanna said, sinking back into her own chair.

"Okay, well still, thanks for not going around telling folks."

"No problem. You'll have enough to deal with now that you don't need to worry about that."

"What do you mean?" she asked suspiciously, not liking the smirking tone from her boss.

"I remember the first time Ethan kissed me. I could barley control myself after, I was a raving lunatic for sex. My entire body—"

"Feels like it's on fire and needs his touch everywhere?" Natasha finished for her.

"Ah-hah!" her boss exclaimed. "You, my dear, should go find him."

"I should?"

"Yes, go find him. And leave here."

"I can't do that," she protested, surprised at the openness of the conversation they were having. Her boss was effectively telling her to go get laid. Which sounded like a great idea, but she didn't want to fuel the rumor mill more than she already had.

"Well you can't stay here, so go on, get out. Go home by yourself if you insist, but whatever you're going to do, it won't be here. So go on, shoo!" Joanna said with a laugh, all but pushing Natasha out of her office.

"Okay okay! I'm going," she giggled, heading for the stairs. She would have to call a cab to come pick her up. Bryce was probably long gone by this time.

Yet, when she emerged onto the main floor, she found him over at the bar. The same waitress, that Maria girl, was hovering over him. A surge of jealousy flooded through Natasha, igniting a temper that had a long fuse. He was making out with her one moment, then flirting with another girl the next, as soon as he had left her!

Then she saw the way he shied away as the waitress leaned closer, his movements cringe worthy. Jake and the bartender were doing their best not to laugh, she saw, as the waitress tried to invade Bryce's space some more. As she watched he actually shifted chairs, but she just slid into the now-empty chair next to him, oblivious to the other men laughing at her.

Bryce wasn't flirting; he was trying to escape. She was still jealous, but her anger transferred to this waitress. Who the hell did she think she was? That was
her
man the intruder was trying to seduce. With a silent snarl, she propelled herself forward, like a bull charging its target.

A part of her brain, the rational part, told her that everything that was going on was crazy, but she was no longer listening. Her sights were fixed, locked on target, and she homed in like a heat-seeking missile, unwavering in its dedication. Bryce saw her coming, a smile lighting up his face.

"Back off," Natasha snapped, her face inches away from the waitress's, who pulled up abruptly in shock at the intrusion. "You," she all but barked at Bryce, before lowering her voice as she whispered in his ear. "Get up. Drive me home. Then fuck my brains out," she ordered, spinning and heading for the door, not waiting to see a response.

Seconds later, Bryce practically flew by as he raced for the door, holding it open for her as she passed through. The doors thudded closed behind her, committing her to the course of action her words had initiated just moments earlier. True, she knew she could stop at any time, but the parts of her that didn't want to stop were thoroughly in control at this point.

Even though the seat warmer wasn't turned on in his truck, warmth flowed out from between her legs, rushing up into her chest and face.

"I'm going to regret saying this, but are you sure?" he asked her as they drove along the city streets, finally breaking the tension-filled silence that had grown around them.

"Positive," she purred, tentatively reaching her hand out to caress his leg, careful not to get too close to the quickly growing bulge in his pants. The last thing she wanted was to cause an accident by groping him.

By the time they pulled into the parking lot she had Bryce worked into a fervor, his breath coming in short gasps as she inched closer and closer to the outline of his cock.

The truck came to a halt with rather more violence than normal as he threw it in park and raced around to her side. Natasha wasn't sure what to expect, but Bryce literally ripping the seatbelt out of its holder, as his other hand snaked around her waist, was not part of it.

He hauled her out with one arm, the muscles in it twisting and flexing as he lifted her with what seemed superhuman ease. She felt lighter than a feather as he held her pressed against his body, making his way to their rooms.

"My place or yours?" he growled, nipping at her neck, his hot breath washing across her skin, a stark contrast to the cold air that made her gasp.

"I'll take the door on the left, please," she teased, wrapping her arms around his neck to help him carry her. He didn't tremble at all, leading her to wonder just how strong he was.

"We have arrived at your destination," he replied as the door swung open to her room.

He set her down smoothly, though his hands never left her as they faced each other. Neither of them moved for a moment, staring into each other's eyes, soaking in the moment and the knowledge of what they were about to do. Natasha wasn't a virgin, but rarely had she felt such a connection with a man either. She was primed and ready to explode. It seemed that all Bryce would have to do was touch her and she would reach her peak.

"Slowly," Bryce commanded as she jerked into motion, ripping her clothes off.

She had intended not to take her time, but it seemed that Bryce had other ideas as his hands closed around her wrists, halting her movement. He gently pushed against her, guiding her back to the bed where she allowed him to push her down onto her back. Clad in half-undone pants that exposed her sleek, black panties and a bra, she shivered as his eyes roamed across her.

She waited for the inevitable look of disappointment that would cross his face when he realized that the woman he was about to have sex with wasn't a lingerie model. It had been an all-too-common theme most of her life. The men who truly appreciated her curves and ampleness were few and far between. With his athletic build and classic good looks, she doubted that Bryce was used to women of her stature.

But he never flinched as he took her in. If anything, she could swear that he began to bite his lip before he moved closer to her, his burning-hot lips scorching her skin as he made his way up her stomach, between her breasts, and neck before covering her lips with his.

The kiss was a slow burn. Neither of them rushed their movements, but instead savored the taste of each other, learning how the other liked it. Bryce was firmly in command, but he responded to her every motion or noise, mixing his wants with her desires in seamless harmony that drove her wild.

"I can't wait any longer. I need you to touch me," she gasped, pouting ever so slightly when his hands stayed in place on her wrists, where they had been all along.

But then in response to her need, he moved her hands above her head, where he ended up holding them with just one hand. The other, now free, began to roam freely across her body, exploring everywhere it could reach. She gasped when his hips shifted, grinding the hardness of his cock across her pussy. Despite the clothing between them, she could feel how large he was, and just how rock solid.

Natasha squirmed, trying to pull her hands free, but for the moment Bryce held them firmly where they were. Her pulse quickened, because she knew that with his strength, there was no way she could break free unless he let her. She was pinned and at his mercy.

"Holy hell you are sexy, woman," he growled deep in his chest, the timbre of his voice sending shivers down her spine, forcing it to contract and arch toward him.

His hand snuck under her, deft fingers unclasping her bra in one smooth motion. With her breasts freed, he pulled the bra up with one hand to where he had hers pinned. Unwilling to let her go, he simply left it there, before unleashing his hungry mouth on her chest. The warmth of his tongue surrounded one of her hard nubs, encircling it repeatedly in a slow, rhythmic movement that coaxed yet another loud moan from her throat.

"Bryce, that feels so good," she whispered, softly enough that he crept his head back toward hers.

Which was exactly what she wanted. When he was in range, she darted forward, her teeth nipping at his ear. He pulled away swiftly, grinning.

"Now now, did you think I was going to fall for that so easily?"

Without waiting for an answer, he gently,
very gently
gave one of her nipples a soft tug with his own teeth, eliciting a gasp from her.

"Are you going to play nice now?" he purred.

She shook her head, not trusting her voice.

"Somehow I'm not surprised," he told her. Then he clamped down again, the tiniest bit harder, to show that he was still in command before he moved on.