ROMANCE: BIKER ROMANCE: Werewolf Rider (MC Shifter Pregnancy Romance) (New Adult Paranormal Romance Short Stories) (160 page)

“Yeah. I thought about moving but there’s too much work involved. I don’t have the money to live out there for long without a job and the economy isn’t doing very well.”

“You could be a model, you know.” The compliment was startlingly honest, and Katrina felt her face heat up as she looked at herself. She could stand to lose a few pounds, and at 5’5” she knew she was considered ‘petite’- although she was far from that.

“The last thing I want is to be paraded half naked on a spread in Playboy.” Watching Eric flat out grin at her made Katrina blink slowly; it made him a hundred times more handsome. He had a dimply on his chin, and his grey-ish brown eyes sparkled.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing that. You’re beautiful.”

Even though it was summer the air was still fairly cold at night, and Katrina pulled her sweater around herself with a sigh. It was midnight, and she would usually be working until 1am but Luca told her to go home because it was slow- even slower than usual. She honestly didn’t mind it, though.

“Hey, do you want a ride?” At the offer Katrina frowned as Eric pulled up beside her on the curb. He drove a sleek car that definitely wasn’t made for mountains but also wasn’t too sporty- and it was a dark blue color. It was her favorite color.

“Uh no thanks. But thanks for offering.” If Luca was around he would’ve publicly scolded her, and Katrina wasn’t even sure why she was declining the ride. What if she passed out or something and no one was around? What if she got lost, and ended up in the woods?

“Katrina, I insist. You look ready to drop- seriously.” How could she fight that? She
felt
ready to drop, and that meant she must’ve looked pretty bad. Sighing, Katrina nodded absently before reaching for the handle on the door. It was a good thing she was on the passenger side of the car, too, otherwise she would’ve made a fool of herself.

“Thanks for this Eric.” Goodness, the seat was so soft. How was she supposed to stay awake in a leather seat that was so comfortable? Mumbling, she sunk into the seat and heard a soft chuckle.

“Any time, sweetheart.”

Two days later it was Friday, and Katrina was walking to work when Eric came up beside her. This time he wasn’t in his car, and he swiped his hand through his hair before speaking up to start the conversation.

“So, to answer your question before we were so rudely interrupted- I quit. I don’t want to be an actor anymore.” Over the past two days Eric would come in to her work, and Katrina found herself growing fond of him. They talked about a lot of things, from the weather to politics to celebrities. She really enjoyed it. The instance he was referring to, though, made her frown slightly as she shoved her hands into her jean pockets. Luca tried to butt in on their conversation, and she was sure that the super star thought the waiter had a crush on him by the way he promptly excused himself and left.

It made her laugh at the time. Hard.

“Why? Isn’t it fulfilling or something? Being loved by millions of people and making them feel something beyond their ordinary lives.”

“Because it didn’t make me happy or accomplished anymore. I’ve been a star since I was 14 and it just got old. I used to live in Washington state- I miss the outdoors.” Nodding, Katrina figured it would be something along those lines. It was hard to know where you were going if you forgot where you came from- or so she’d heard.

“So what are you going to do now?” Kicking around a pebble as she walked, Katrina glanced up to find Eric watching her, and he shrugged a little before looking ahead.

“I like it here. It wouldn’t be too hard to decide to stay for a while.” Eric didn’t take his eyes off her while he talked, and Katrina felt her cheeks heat up. She knew he was talking about her. They’d joked around a little about the punch she’d given Charlie.

The silence stretched on and they were nearing the bar when Eric paused, which made Katrina stop to glance up at him.

“Meet me out back when your shift is over.” It was such a flippant statement that she almost didn’t realize what he’d said- but then he bent down to place a lingering kiss on her cheek. She
certainly
understood that, and the way he inhaled deeply before trailing his lips over to her ear.

“I want to take you somewhere far, far away.” Whispering huskily, Eric straightened and walked the few feet towards the front of the bar, leaving Katrina to stare. Sure, they had chemistry but did they really have
that
much? Did he even mean he wanted to have sex with her? Did she want to have sex with him? What about the fact that she’d never had sex before?

“Oh my God…”

Katrina knew from Luca and his tabloid collection that Eric was known as the ‘Bad Boy of Hollywood’. He was always on the front page with some relationship related headline sprawled across the bottom. He’d gotten arrested a few times over the years for stupid things.

Then she felt bad. Tabloids were notorious for lies and gossiping. It was how they got their grip on people like Luca. What if nothing they’d said about Eric was true? What if she was only overthinking things?

“Kat! I need six shots!” Her entire shift Katrina was distracted, but not enough to do her job wrong. It was the busiest part of the night, and the bar was full once again. Charlie was absent, though, and for that she was grateful, but that pick me up didn’t last long.

No one ever said ‘please’ or ‘thank you’, and it was annoying to no end.

No one tipped more than a few dollars, and
that
pissed her off.

“Here you go, Papa. Same as usual.” Passing her father a glass of bourbon, Katrina smiled and leaned on her elbows. She had a second or two to spare.

“Try not to get punched again, okay? I don’t want to listen to your mother.” The sparkle in his eye told her he was only joking, and she shook her head with a smile. That was the good thing about parents that were still in love.

“So- I was thinking of spending the night at Luca’s house. He’s got this new DVD box set he wants me to watch with him.”

“Sure, just don’t get pregnant. Luca’s a nice boy and all but he’s not really good for you, honey.” Covering her face with her hands, Katrina was starting to get flustered because her father brought up this topic every time he was here. It wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t working. It could’ve been better, too, if Luca hadn’t sidled up to the bar in that exact moment.

“Don’t worry- she’s oblivious to my good looks and charm. Sucks for her, doesn’t it? I’m a catch.” Sighing heavily, Katrina was so glad she could’ve bounced on her toes that Luca was actually playing along with her. They never made plans to get together- usually he just showed up at her house and dragged her to his.

“Anyway, it’s supposed to be every uncut episode of Housewives of Beverly Hills.”

Just thinking about it was enough to make her pale a few shades.

“This is where I regret my decision!”

When the bar closed Katrina was counting her pathetic tips when Luca came up beside her with a ‘tell all’ expression and she knew she was no match for him. He’d annoy her until she finally caved so she might as well spill it out now.

“Okay, so Eric wants me to come over and I needed a scape goat and you can’t tell my dad, okay?” Heaving out the explanation, Katrina set her money on the counter and looked Luca in the face.

Then he let out a girlish squeal, and smiled so wide his dimples looked like they’d cave in.

“He did! You’re getting buddy buddy with a movie star! Oh my God! I want details! Every detail! That’s the price!” Groaning, Katrina rubbed her face with her hands and nodded miserably.

“Deal- but I’m not getting explicit. I mean, we might not even have sex and I don’t know if I want to but he’s really awesome and- I need help.” This was the reason so many people questioned Luca’s sexuality. He was a girl at heart in a man’s body. He gave the best dating advice, and sometimes acted more girly than she did.

“Bu-u-ut you might have sex, Kat. You might finally lose your v-card to the hottest guy on television. You’re so lucky. All I can say is wing it. If it feels right- do it. You might never get another chance like this and let’s face it- everyone here knows the only reason Eric comes here is to see you. Ever since you punched Charlie in the face he’s been more star struck with you than you are with him. I mean, seriously- you punched a 6’6” 270 pound guy in the face. Oh! My sissy’s growing up!” Smothering her in a hug, Luca was so happy he could’ve shed tears for his friend. Nothing spectacular ever happened to Katrina, anyway- and here she was. He felt like a mother bird watching his chick fly for the first time.

“You go- I’ll count your tips and clock you out. And whatever you do try not to ramble, okay? You do that when you get nervous.”

Slinking out of the back of the bar, Katrina shoved her hands in her pockets and took a deep breath before looking around. Eric was leaning on the hood of his car, and she only briefly wondered if he’d driven it here beforehand or went to go get it. She was so busy she didn’t even notice if he’d left.

“You ready, Katrina?” Nodding, she gulped down the nerves lodged in her throat and Eric pulled open the passenger side door for her. It was unexpectedly gentlemanly, but she only smiled in thanks. She had to remember not to ramble.

Then he really wouldn’t want her because she talked about the most grotesque things and it’s a major turn off.

“Uhm- so-o… Do you do this a lot?”
… Really?
All of the things Katrina could’ve said and she said that? She could’ve face palmed herself if she didn’t want to further embarrass herself.

“No- actually I’ve never done this before. You’re my first.” Turning her head to stare, Katrina couldn’t even begin to delve into the immense amount of undertone those words held.

“Are you serious?” She was so shocked she didn’t even stutter- and that was saying something. Eric, though, only nodded as he pulled onto the street.

“Yes, completely serious. I was raised to think I would only be with one woman. You shouldn’t believe everything you read, you know.”

Biting her lip, Katrina furrowed her eyebrows and stared hard at the dashboard in front of her. After a moment, though, her words just started to spill out and she couldn’t stop them.

“Oh thank God. I was worried that this would be awkward and everything because I’m a virgin and I didn’t think you were- I mean, why would you be? You’re hot and successful and you were on T.V. I just assumed and I guess it was wrong but you’re really cool, you know? And I really like you and I don’t want to mess this up by seeming presumptuous because I’m really not. No one has ever really been interested in me besides Luca and I’m pretty sure he’s gay but he doesn’t want to come out of the closet and I really don’t know what I’m doing here s-“

Before she could continue making a fool of herself Eric came to a stop on the side of the road and tangled his hand in her hair. He pulled her halfway across the center console and smashed his mouth on hers- and she melted. Whenever he touched her she felt nice, but kissing him was like an other world experience- new and exciting and something she craved even though she didn’t know it. It was a hard kiss, ravenous and rough and something that stole her breath from her lungs. He cupped her face with his free hand, and she pressed her feet against the door unconsciously, until she was almost on top of him.

When Eric broke the kiss Katrina was panting and flushed and she felt hot, writhing need coil inside her. It was alien, but she wanted more of it, and a disappointed sound escaped her lips but that only made him smirk in a very sexy way that went straight to her crotch.

“You still nervous?” Like gravel, Eric’s question flowed like sand paper over her skin and Katrina shook her head.

“We’ll be there soon.” Stroking her cheek, he kissed her one last time before she sat back in the passenger seat to marvel at what had just happened. Was kissing someone supposed to be like that? Whenever the waitresses at work gossiped they never described anything like what she’d experienced only moments ago.

“Do you want to eat something?” Eric pulled into the driveway of a nice house that wasn’t much bigger than her own as he posed his question, but Katrina only shrugged.

“I ate on my break.” The entire rest of the ride had been silent, and anticipation swelled in her veins when he turned off the car. This was really happening. She was going to be alone with him
all night.

She wasn’t even worried despite the nerves that thrummed inside her.

Without wasting much time Eric pulled her thought a nice, perfectly furnished house and up a flight of stairs. He tugged her into his room, and shut the door behind her with his foot before pressing her against the barrier. She didn’t even have time to look around, and all she knew was that the walls were a neutral beige color.

“Ever since I walked into that bar you’re all I can think about, Katrina.” Hard muscle played under his shirt, and she wiggled with a slight groan at the fervent tone in his voice.

“You’re the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen even with your clothes on.”

Once again Eric pressed his lips to hers, but this time it was softer. Closing her eyes, Katrina gasped when he ground his prominent erection into her tummy, and his tongue snuck into her mouth. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and he gripped her thighs to pick her up off her feet. Part of her was screaming that this was insane, that they’d only known each other for three days, or two and a half if she wanted to get technical. The other part didn’t care.