ROMANCE: SHAPESHIFTER ROMANCE: Dragon Baller's Bride (Dragon Shifter Alpha Male Romance) (Paranormal Romantic Suspense) (89 page)

“You are very welcome. Do you have to work tomorrow?”

“Yes, unfortunately. I can’t afford to take time off since I just took a week-long vacation.”

Tom didn’t really respond, and as soon as they were both done eating he got up to refill both their drinks before settling back on the couch, pulling her close. She had never been cuddled on the couch for that long before, and she didn’t want him to ever leave. Unfortunately that was not an option and too soon for her liking the movie was over and she was in the kitchen cleaning up the remnants of dinner. Tom had offered to help, but she had refused; stating he had cooked so she would clean. When he got ready to leave he pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

“I will talk to you tomorrow. Get some sleep and good luck at work. I put my number on the fridge, don’t hesitate to call or text if you need anything.”

“Thank you. Be careful, that man didn’t look friendly.”

“I will. Goodnight Jenny.”

T
om walked
down the street where Toto had been attacked, approaching a man walking his dog calmly. He really liked Jenny and he wanted to find who did this to her. There was something about her that attracted him and he felt that she wouldn’t be able to move on until justice was served. On top of that he really hated people who trained their dogs to attack, and it had been very clear that was exactly what this man had done.

“Excuse me sir? My friend’s dog was attacked here yesterday and I’m trying to find who was responsible. It was a Pitbull without a leash and they simply walked on after killing her dog. Have you seen them around here before?”

“You’re talking about Toto aren’t you? Judy down the street saw it happening and we’ve all heard. We all knew Toto, such a kind dog, and Jenny was always up for a chat while walking her. Judy might know who it was, she saw it happening but saw you had it in hand. I have never seen a Pitbull around here but if I see it I will go in the opposite direction.”

“Thank you sir. Which house is Judy’s?”

“Number six. She usually sits on her front porch knitting in the morning so she is probably still there. Good luck, I hope you find who did this. Mrs Jones said she was taking a casserole over and I believe Mr Peterson was sending something as well. Could you let her know we will all miss Toto and we hope to one day see Jenny on her walks again?”

“Absolutely. I think she would really like to know that there were others who loved Toto as much as she did. If you would excuse me, I’m going to talk to Judy.”

Tom walked down the street to where Judy was indeed on her porch, watching him approach. He somehow had a feeling Judy knew everything that happened in the neighborhood, as every neighborhood had that person. Considering she sat on her porch every morning it was a safe bet Judy was that person for this neighborhood. “Good morning ma’am. I heard you saw what happened yesterday?”

“Yes, awful that. I’m glad you took care of poor Jenny and Toto. I’m assuming you are trying to find the man responsible?”

“Yes ma’am, I am. I’m trying to prevent this happening again.”

“I haven’t seen you here before but you seem like a good man. The man responsible has been here once before, he lives about four blocks over. My friend who lives there told me she hears dogs barking from his yard about once a week and it always sounds like there’s a party at the same time. She said he is not very nice and is rude to everyone else. She lives at number eight Crescent, you might ask her what house it is.”

“Thank you ma’am. You have a good day now.”

Tom started walking in the direction Judy had indicated while calling his friend Eric. Eric had been with the city police for a couple years now and he had a feeling he might need backup. It couldn’t hurt, and if nothing else he’d be on the safe side which is what he had promised Jenny. If there was one thing he’d do it would be to keep his promise to Jenny to be safe. “Eric? It’s a long story, but I’m heading over to Crescent Street to talk to a man who attacked my friend’s dog yesterday. The dog died and this Pitbull looked trained to attack. I have a bad feeling about him, he didn’t seem affected by the attack at all and they calmly walked away like nothing happened. No, I’m alone. I’ll be careful but I might need backup. Alright, I’ll see you there.”

It took Tom about ten minutes to walk to Crescent Street and when he got there he immediately knew what house he needed, he didn’t have to talk to Judy’s friend. A simple single story white house, a few houses down from the corner, had barking coming from the back yard and it was clear there were several dogs back there. He knew he really should wait for Eric, but he wanted to get this over with and give Jenny the good news so he walked up to the front door and knocked.

“What.” a man said angrily as he threw open the door. Tom immediately recognized him as the owner of the Pitbull, and before he realized what he was doing he had punched the man straight in the nose.

“That’s for killing my friend’s dog you bastard.”

Tom had expected the man to retaliate and he anticipate the punch back. He was a good fighter, he wasn’t a professional for no reason, and he easily dodged the punch. The man didn’t back down however and Tom backed out into the yard so they’d have more space and he didn’t have the disadvantage of the steps of the porch or the screen door being in the way. Punches were flying left and right, along with several well placed kicks, and it was obvious to Tom that this wasn’t the first fight this man had been in.

The screeching of tires behind them didn’t stop the fight in the least, but being separated by strong arms did and Tom realized his nose was bleeding. “Search the house,” the order came and Tom recognized Eric’s voice. “Restrain that one.”

Tom watched as the other man was put in cuffs by an officer while two others walked into the house. He looked at Eric with slight apprehension and wasn’t surprised when Eric quite literally kicked his butt. “Hey!”

“I thought I told you to wait,” Eric said, irritation evident in his voice. “I also told you we had this house under surveillance for illegal dog fighting already. You did give us an excuse to search the house so thank you for that. I thought you had lost your impulsive streak when you went into fighting?”

“I just sort of lost my temper,” Tom said, slightly sheepish. He had known Eric growing up and all through high school they had gotten into more trouble together than he cared to admit. Once out of high school Eric went to college and the police academy while Tom went into fighting, and they both cleaned up their act. They were still good friends, but at times Eric was definitely the more mature one of the two.

“You sort of lost your temper. No kidding. Go stand by my car please. There’s a first aid kit in the glovebox, use it on your nose so you don’t bleed all over the place.”

Tom knew he had to let Eric do his job and walked to his car to get something for his nose, ignoring the second kick to his butt he got from his friend as he did so. He waited patiently by the car, watching the police search the house before a van from animal rescue pulled up. He knew they had found dogs and soon he was proven right when six very angry dogs were taken to the van and put in cages. The man, whose name Tom still didn’t know, was taken to another car and both the van and the car drove off. “Those dogs will likely have to be put down. All trained as attack dogs and it was clear he was running an illegal dog fighting ring in his backyard. We have been trying to catch him for a long time, he’s the leader of a small gang that’s involved in dog fighting all over town. I should thank you for leading us to him but I also have to take you to the station to get your statement. After that you are going to the gym to work off some energy while you tell me about this girl who got you to punch a complete stranger.”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you it was just because he trained attack dogs?”

“No. I know you better than that,” Eric said with a grin. “Come on, get in. So what’s her name?”

“Jenny. That Pitbull killed her dog yesterday and I watched it all. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She is very sweet and kind and I just enjoy being with her even if we don’t say a word. I don’t know, it’s just comfortable. Yesterday when she was grieving I took over Chinese, just getting some of my favorites hoping she would like them only to find out they were her favorites. I got snacks and drinks for the movie we watched yesterday afternoon, and she drank chocolate milk while eating starburst and watching
Annie
. I found it cute as opposed to being annoyed at having to watch
Annie
. She owns
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
which you know is one of my favorite movies, and she loved my steak and potatoes. I don’t know, I just find myself wanting to spend time with her. When I saw the man who hurt her the way he did yesterday I just couldn’t quite control myself.”

“You know he could press charges because you threw the first punch?”

“I’ll deal with that if it comes up but yes, I am aware. It felt good though.”

Eric laughed as they pulled into the station and he turned off the car. “I’m sure it did. Take her on a proper date and I better meet her soon if it works out. Let’s go get this done, I really hate this paperwork part of the job.”

Tom couldn’t help but laugh, knowing how true that was. Eric had always been the one to do things, not one for sitting at a desk and imagining him sitting at a desk doing paperwork wasn’t something he ever thought he’d see. It took close to an hour to get his statement and Eric offered to give him a ride back to where Tom’s car was parked. “No, I’ll walk. It’s not too far and I’m not in a hurry. Jenny doesn’t get off for another couple hours.”

“You’ve got it bad. Be careful not to go too fast. I’ll let you know if we need something from her like a testimony on what happened yesterday, or if this guy presses charges. Are you playing tomorrow?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Tom said, knowing Eric was referring to the pickup basketball game they played every Tuesday evening. He never missed it unless he was out of town, and he loved that after so many years they all still came together on Tuesday evenings to play. It didn’t matter that half of them were married, some even with kids. Tuesday evenings were for them to hang out and have some guy time and they all valued it. He knew the guys would have plenty to say about him punching a guy for a girl, since that was definitely not his style, so he was going to have to think about some comebacks.

He calmly walked through town, looking at the various store fronts and stopping occasionally to talk to someone he knew. He also got some flowers for Jenny, wanting to surprise her, when he got closer to her house. He knew she had to be getting home soon, and he knew she wasn’t expecting him to be there. He also knew she didn’t realize that those she talked to each morning when she walked with Toto truly cared about them, and she would appreciate knowing she wasn’t as alone as she apparently thought.

J
enny had just left
her office, ready to get home and relax either on the couch or in a warm bubble bath. It had been a long day, especially as she had almost lost her composure at seeing a picture of Toto on her desk, and she just wanted it to be over. In the back of her mind she remembered Tom’s promise to stop by, but there was still something in her that didn’t quite believe he would follow through with that.

Shutting her car door after pulling into the driveway and getting out, she absentmindedly walked up to the front porch only to stop suddenly when she saw Tom sitting on her front steps, a beautiful bouquet of flowers in his hands and a casserole dish at his side. “Tom?”

“I told you I’d be back. First, the casserole is from Mrs Jones. She sends her sympathies and is sorry she missed you, but she couldn’t stay as her son was going to come over. She hopes to see you on walks again soon. Mr Peterson shares that sentiment as does Judy. The flowers are from me. Beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl,” Tom said easily as he got up, picking up the casserole dish as well.

“They know?”

“They do. Judy saw it happen and when I was there earlier today I was informed everyone already knew. They all loved Toto and they are all saddened by her death. Mrs Jones was here only a few minutes ago, I think she was expecting you to be home already.”

“I never knew I made an impact on them.”

“Sometimes we make a bigger impact on people than we realize, and sometimes we affect someone else’s life without even realizing it. Something as small as saying good morning to Mrs Jones really makes a difference to her. Are you going to invite me inside or are we going to enjoy what’s in this dish out here on the porch?”

“Oh, sorry. I’m just a little stumped. So did you find out what happened?” Jenny asked as she rushed forward to unlock her front door, letting Tom get side before following him in. She took a vase from a cupboard and filled it with water, putting the flowers in them and setting it on the kitchen table. “These are beautiful.”

“I’m glad you like them. This dish is warm. Would you like to eat this for dinner or would you prefer I take you out? I planned on asking you out for dinner but Mrs Jones almost ruined that.”

“You want to take me out?”

“Yes. Like on a date. I like you Jenny, and I’d like to get to know you better. To answer your earlier question, we caught the guy. My friend on the police force assisted after I punched the guy in the nose, but he got arrested. Apparently he was the leader of some dog fighting ring, Eric thinks he was likely testing the dog to see if he was ready when he took a stroll through your neighborhood.”

“Wow. I’m glad he got arrested. What about the dogs?”

“Taken by the animal shelter but they’ll likely have to be put down. They all looked angry. So how about dinner?”

“What’s in that dish will keep until tomorrow if you’d like to go somewhere? I’d be hard pressed to turn down an invitation for a date with a handsome man.”

“Do you need anything before we leave?” Tom asked, not knowing if she wanted to change out of her work clothes.

“Is where we are going casual enough for jeans?”

“Absolutely. No stuffy suit and tie for me.”

“Perfect, then I will change real quick. I hate having to dress up like this,” Jenny said, quickly walking towards her bedroom to change. She couldn’t quite believe her luck and her day had just gone from bad to good in a matter of minutes. The man responsible for Toto’s death had been caught and she felt a sense of closure, while an incredibly sexy man had just asked her on a date. She might be dreaming, but if so it was turning into a good dream. It would be perfect if Toto was there, but it was good at this point.

After changing into jeans and a comfortable sweatshirt Jenny walked back to the kitchen. This is how she liked to dress and Tom could either take it or leave it, but somehow she had a feeling Tom didn’t care what she was wearing. “I’m ready. I didn’t see your car?”

“I’m parked around the block where I parked this morning. I’m driving since I know where we are going so let’s walk that way, shall we?” Tom asked as he held out his elbow for Jenny to hook her arm through. They walked like that to his car, which really was around the block, and Tom opened the passenger side door for her.

It was a short ride to the restaurant, which Jenny immediately recognized as a steakhouse, and Tom walked around the car to open her door for her before helping her out. Guiding her into the restaurant with his hand at the small of her back, she realized she really liked these small gestures. He might be an MMA fighter, but he was apparently taught manners and how to treat a lady and he was following that to a tee. She almost panicked when she realized she had no idea what to talk about, before realizing they had been just fine the day before without having specific topics to talk about. She decided to just let conversation flow, and if it didn’t, it didn’t. She had realized long ago that forcing conversation only made things awkward and that was the last thing she wanted.

Once seated they immediately had a waitress come up who sent fluttering eyelashes at Tom, who completely ignored her in favor of looking at Jenny. “Do you want an appetizer?”

“That’s up to you. Do you usually get one?”

“We’ll take the potato skins. I’ll have a water to drink. Jenny?”

“Diet Coke, thank you.”

The waitress practically ignored Jenny but she was used to that and didn’t really get bothered by it, she was more focused on the fact that Tom had not taken his eyes off her and she doubted he knew what their waitress looked like. “She likes you,” Jenny said easily.

“Who? The waitress? She just likes the looks, not me. It’s quite annoying really. All I want is for her to bring us our drinks and food and leave us alone. How was your day?”

Jenny was amazed that he truly didn’t care, and he truly wanted to be with her. In that moment she decided to accept everything as it was and make it last as long as possible because it simply made her feel good. “It was long and boring. I almost broke down a few times at seeing Toto’s picture, but I made it through. I think they all suspected something was going on but nobody bothered to ask. I was quite ready for a warm bubble bath when I stumbled upon you on my doorstep.”

“Well maybe you can still do that after we get home,” Tom said with a smile. Jenny raised her eyebrow at the suggestion, feeling desire pool down below. She couldn’t believe she was reacting like that, and she knew her cheeks were flushed which made her very happy when the appetizer was placed in front of them. She realized the waitress must have come back at some point to give them their drinks and neither of them had noticed.

“I’ve never had potato skins before,” Jenny said, trying to change the subject. The smile Tom sent her indicated he knew very well what she was trying to do and he was going to let her for the moment.

“They are really good. It’s basically some potato with cheese and bacon. There’s sour cream right there if you want it on there. Try one, if you don’t like it that’s fine.”

Jenny had just taken a bite of her potato skin when the waitress came back to take their order and Tom glared at her for her bad timing. “Are you two ready to order?”

Tom quickly ordered and after a nod from Jenny, he ordered for her as well. It was clear she wanted the same thing and as her mouth was still full, it was hard for her to say so. “This is really good,” she finally managed to say after the waitress had left and Tom had taken a potato skin for himself.

“It really is. It’s one of the things I truly enjoy but I rarely ever get. There’s not much point in getting an appetizer when I’m by myself and I must admit this is the first time I’ve taken a date here. You enjoyed the steak yesterday so I thought you might like this place.”

“I do. Thank you for ordering for me. It’s one of the things I hate about restaurants, they always ask you questions at the wrong moment.”

“I agree and it’s not a problem. Did I get it right?”

“You did, thank you. So you have a friend on the police force?”

That question started a conversation about childhood friends and Tom shared some stories from high school, which had Jenny in stitches by the time they were done eating. She couldn’t believe some of things they had done in their teenage years, and she knew her own teenage years were very boring in comparison. She was looking forward to meeting this Eric who seemed to truly know Tom and it appeared they were really good friends.

Once they were done eating Jenny and Tom left the restaurant and he drove back to her house in silence. When they got there, Tom walked her to her door but he didn’t come in right away. “May I come in?”

“Only if you help me run that bath,” Jenny said with a shy smile before walking in, leaving the door open for him to either come in or close behind her. She heard him come in and close the door and couldn’t quite hold back her smile.

“I love that it makes you shy,” Tom whispered in her ear, pulling her flush against him. “Show me this tub and I’ll see about this bath.”

Jenny walked to the bathroom with Tom right behind her, and true to his word Tom turned on the water and looked at the bottles on the side of the tub. One of the reasons Jenny had chosen this rental home was because it had a nice tub, and she loved her baths, but she never expected it to be used this way. Tom smelled a few of the lotions before pouring one into the water and watching it start to create bubbles. He stood up and walked back over to her, taking hold of her sweatshirt and pulling it over her head. “Can’t get your clothes wet now can we? Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. It’s scary and I’ve never done this, but yes.”

“Any of this?”

“Bath or this fast. I don’t know what’s making me do it now.”

“If at any point you want to stop, you say so and I’ll stop. Now let me get you out of these clothes.”

Tom started to slowly undress her and Jenny, to her own surprise, wasn’t in any way self-conscious once she stood in front of Tom completely naked. He turned to turn off the taps and she admired his backside as he bent over to do so. He helped her into the tub and she sank into it with a sigh; it was the perfect temperature and just the right amount of bubbles.

Tom pulled off his shirt and Jenny couldn’t take her eyes off his muscular chest and abs, letting her eyes move down when his jeans did. She couldn’t detect a single imperfection on him, and when he motioned for her to move forward she gladly did so he could get in behind her. She was once again against his firm chest, and once again his arms were around her. It was a comfortable place to be, and she realized she really would love to sit like this all the time.

She felt his hardness in her back but tried to ignore it, for the moment just enjoying the comfort and warmth of the bath. It was clear he felt the same way as he made no move to do anything else for the first twenty minutes. They sat there, neither of them saying anything, as she let her head rest under his chin and she had her eyes closed. She was fully relaxed and she reveled in the fact that he wasn’t trying to rush things. She didn’t stop him when his hand moved down to touch her, and she knew her writhing under his touch was creating friction for him if the sounds coming from him were anything to go by. The second she came undone, so did he and she relaxed back against his chest as he added more hot water to the bath while letting some of the cold water drain away.

She was glad he didn’t try to go all the way, she had just met him the day before after all, and yet she knew she didn’t want him to ever leave. “I don’t want to ever leave,” Tom said softly, as if he was reading her mind.

“I don’t want you to leave. I’ve never felt like this before. Do you believe in love at first sight?”

“I didn’t until I met you. You’re perfect in every way. I have no doubt we’ll fight, but everyone does. I want to get to know you, spend time with you, comfort you, laugh with you and yes, fight with you. If for no other reason than so we can have amazing make up sex. What do you say?”

“I wholeheartedly agree.”

“I have one condition. I want you to quit your job and apply at the animal shelter. You hate your job but you love animals. Do something you love, even if it means less money. Life is too short to do something you don’t like, and I refuse to stand by and watch you waste your life away.”

“You realize I have bills to pay?”

“Don’t worry about any of that. Trust me to take care of you. What do you say? Do you accept me, condition and all?”

Jenny thought about it, and she realized Tom was right. She did hate her job, and she had always wanted to work with animals. Not having Toto made her realize that she had room in her heart to love other animals, even if it wasn’t quite as much as she had loved Toto. She also knew her bills would be fine even if she worked at the animal shelter, she would just have to tighten her budget a little bit more. “I accept. Where do I sign?”