The Jaguar's Beach Bride: BBW Jaguar Shifter Paranormal Romance (Shifters of Coral Beach Book 1) (4 page)

“That was a permanent marker,” Mina said as she stared at her arm.

Brennan grinned. “I know. Now you’ll always remember my number, too.” Brushing a strand of hair from her face, he kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you soon.”

“And that’s it? You’re just going to leave? I thought you were set on playing bodyguard.”

“I was. I am. But there are other ways of keeping you safe.”

Before Mina could reply, Brennan left the store, the sound of the bell echoing behind him as he made his way into the sunshine.

Chapter Five

When Mina arrived home later that evening, she almost wished she’d let Brennan come with her. Every creak, every whoosh made her jumpy and convinced that someone was in the house, ready to jump her at any moment. She couldn’t get the image of Roger pushing her into a corner and threatening her out of her mind. She knew he wouldn’t leave her alone—would breaking into her house be out of the realm of imagination? She didn’t think so.

When Mina heard a particularly loud creak after she’d picked at her dinner, she pulled an old baseball bat out of the hall closet and slowly walked into an unfinished back room, listening intently. Was that the sound of someone breathing?

Her heart pounding, she rounded the corner while switching on the light. And…nothing. Nothing but boxes and cobwebs and a few spiders scurrying back into the corners with the sudden influx of light. Mina deflated, the bat dipping down beside her, and she felt ridiculous. Even if someone had been here, could she really have defended herself with a baseball bat? Mina was capable of many things, but fighting wasn’t one of them.

When she went to bed, she kept the bat beside her—just in case. But thoughts of an intruder faded somewhat when she gazed at the number written across her forearm. She’d tried to scrub it off, but it stayed, only marginally faded. Mina traced the numbers, the hurried script flowing across her skin. She couldn’t even be mad at Brennan for doing it, and permanent marker wasn’t really permanent on skin. She’d drawn “tattoos” of a sort on her arms as a child, and although her mom had been upset, they’d come off eventually.
Eventually
being the operative word.

Thoughts of Brennan inevitably led to thoughts of Brennan kissing her. Thoughts of Brennan saving her. Thoughts of Brennan’s eyes changing. But mostly thoughts of him kissing her. Mina hadn’t been kissed since her fiancé Paul, who’d dumped her a day before their wedding with only a text message saying,
Sorry babe, but I can’t do it.
He’d skipped town, using one of the tickets for their honeymoon to get away.

The only consolation for his shitty behavior was that he’d apparently gotten horrible food poisoning on the trip and had been miserable for the majority of it.
Karma’s a bitch,
Mina had thought when she’d heard.

After that, she’d dated little. She often felt like there was no point, not when men didn’t want to get to know her at all. They just wanted to have sex and leave without any strings attached. Mina wished sometimes she were the type of person who could sleep around without all of the strings, but she wasn’t. And she couldn’t change this about herself anymore than she could change her DNA.

Brennan, though, represented something different. Yes, he’d kissed her within hours of meeting her, but Mina couldn’t regret it. Instead, she reveled in the memories. He’d kissed her with such possession and heat that her body tingled merely thinking about it. Where had he learned to kiss like that? And more importantly, why did he want to kiss
her
like that?

Mina knew she wasn’t sexy or gorgeous. On a good day, she could pull off pretty, but she was too short, too curvy, and too pale to earn any stronger adjective. But Brennan had looked at her like she was the only woman in the universe, and the most beautiful one at that. It was shallow, she knew, but having a man like Brennan gaze at her like that had unfurled something within her. Something she hadn’t experienced even when she was with Paul, her ex-fiancé. He’d always hinted that she should lose weight or get a tan. Go on this diet or stop eating that kind of food. And after a while, Mina had started to believe he was right.

Until he’d dumped her without even an apology, the asshole.

Turning over, Mina squeezed her eyes shut, but thoughts of Brennan intruded. Those eyes, those lips, that voice. Her body heated, and she shuddered. Pushing off the covers, Mina turned over and over, trying to find a comfortable position, but she was too agitated. Too heated and, quite frankly, too aroused now to fall asleep.

She imagined Brennan’s hands all over her body, his mouth on her breasts, his breath against her ear, and she moaned softly. What was he doing to her? She never got like this with men. But one look from Brennan and she was putty in his hands, even without him being physically present. She then traced the numbers on her arm for a few moments before she fell into a deep, endless sleep.

***

When she heard the creak, she thought it was a remnant from her dream. But then she heard it again:
creeeeeaaaaaaak, creeeeaaaak.
Mina waited and listened, burrowing deeper into the covers. Her heart pounded so hard she felt lightheaded, but she focused on listening. There it was again:
creeaaaak.

Jumping out of bed, she grabbed the baseball bat and her phone and locked herself in the bathroom. She didn’t think about what she was doing: she texted the number on her arm.

Brennan it’s Mina. I think somebody’s in my house. Please help!

She almost smacked her forehead after she hit send. How was he going to hear his phone ding in the middle of the night? He was probably fast asleep.

Mina was about to call him when she received a reply:
Where are you right now?

Locked in the bathroom.

Okay stay there. What’s your address?

Mina input her address with trembling fingers, hoping against hope that Brennan wasn’t stuck in some hotel miles away.

Got it. I’m only 5 miles away.

Mina breathed a sigh of relief and clutched the baseball bat harder. She listened intently, but she didn’t hear any more creaking noises. Still, that didn’t mean the intruder hadn’t gone into the backroom. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying. Tears wouldn’t help right now. She had to be brave and wait for Brennan.

It wasn’t until later that Mina thought she should’ve called the police. But her mind had fastened on Brennan and no other. Brennan meant safety and Brennan would save her. She had no doubt about that.

Minutes ticked by. Mina looked at the time: 2:16 AM. She hadn’t heard a car drive up to her house, and Brennan hadn’t texted her since. Was he okay? Maybe he was confronting the intruder right now and it was a life or death struggle—

Her phone sounded:
The coast is clear. I don’t see any evidence of intruders. Can you let me in? I’m at your backdoor.

Mina uncurled from her crouch and slowly opened the bathroom door, bat at the ready. Just because Brennan was texting didn’t mean he was safe. Maybe the intruder had a gun to his head and was forcing him to lure Mina out.

Conspiracy theories flew through her mind, and she stepped softly out of her bedroom, walking down the stairs before reaching the backdoor that opened to the patio. She saw a figure. Her heart jumped out of her throat before she realized it was Brennan. She switched on a light in the kitchen, and then opened the door for him.

“Oh my God, come in.” She motioned him for him to enter, and he followed her inside. “Are you sure you didn’t see anything? I swore I heard someone.”

“No, I didn’t see anyone. Are you okay, though?”

Mina looked up into Brennan’s eyes, and he seemed so concerned that tears threatened. She felt scared, anxious, but most of all ridiculous and silly. What did he think of her, having him drive all the way to her house to scare away some imaginary bogeyman? Was she going to ask him to scare away the monster from under her bed too?

She needed to distract herself to keep herself from crying like a ninny.

“Do you want some hot chocolate?” she blurted out, beginning to get things out without waiting for his response.

Mina rummaged around for a pan, the clatter of metal against metal painfully loud in the now quiet house, and then her brain seemed to shut off. What else did you need for hot chocolate?

Finally realizing she probably needed actual chocolate, she started looking around in a cabinet by her feet, muttering to herself, “Oh, where is that damn chocolate?”

As she dug around, Brennan plucked the pan from her hand, setting it on the counter by her head.

“Mina, it’s all right,” he said in a soft voice. “I couldn’t find any evidence there was a break-in. Why don’t you sit down for a second?”

Mina wanted to laugh, because she was almost sitting already. Well, crouch-sitting. That was when her body seemed to give out, and Mina slumped onto the floor, her legs out in front of her. She made a pathetic sound, and then buried her face in her hands. “Oh God, I was so scared. I really thought someone was inside and that Roger had come to get me—”

Brennan went down on his knees, taking her hands and rubbing them gently. “You’re in a little bit of shock. Take a deep breath for me. Yes, like that. And another one. And one more. Good.”

Mina obeyed him without protest. His voice soothed her nerves, made her calm down enough to understand that she was all right and didn’t have to be afraid anymore. Her heart had stopped its initial pounding, now slowing down to a nervous rhythm. Brennan continued rubbing her hands, telling her to breathe, and finally after some moments, she’d calmed enough to speak.

She slowly came to a stand, still intent on making hot chocolate. She had to give him something for coming all the way over, and for some reason, her mind had latched onto hot chocolate with a vengeance.

Busying herself with heating the milk on the stove—none of this microwaved water and powder business for her—she wondered why Brennan would come all the way out here for her. He could’ve just as easily told her to call the cops and let him sleep. But he hadn’t even hesitated. Her heart warmed and as she stirred the chocolate into the milk with a whisk, she couldn’t stop herself from glancing over her shoulder at him.

Mina flipped off the burner and, turning, saw that Brennan had already fetched two mugs. She smiled. Pouring the hot chocolate, she set down the pan before sifting around in the drawer for her bottle of rum.

She uncapped it and poured a decent amount in each mug. “My favorite kind of hot chocolate: nice and spiked.”

Brennan took a sip and made a pleased noise in the back of his throat. “This is the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had.”

Beaming, Mina sipped hers, the warmth and alcohol causing her body to feel calm and float-y. Her heart had finally stopped pounding, and now she just needed to get rid of this headache before she could possibly try to sleep again.

They drank their hot chocolate in silence, and Mina didn’t mind it. It was comforting having Brennan here, knowing he’d protect her against any intruders—imaginary or otherwise.

“Thank you again for coming,” she began. “I realize I could’ve called the cops like a normal person, now that I’ve calmed down.”

He smiled. “I’m glad you called me. That’s why I gave you my number.”

“Really? You were hoping I’d call you to come risk your life because I thought someone was in my house? What a weird thing to hope for.”

He laughed, and she found her heart lightening at the sound.

“I had hoped you’d use it for other things, but might as well start somewhere, right?” he said.

He took another sip of hot chocolate, and she watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. How did he manage to seem so attractive, rumpled from sleep and after searching around her house for a burglar that didn’t exist?

The moment suddenly felt extremely intimate—the dim lighting, the hour, the hot chocolate. Mina’s heart sped up, but the warmth of the alcohol also gave her enough of a boost of courage to say, “Where were you living before you moved back here?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Here and there,” he finally said. “New York, Miami, a stint in Seattle. A few good months in South Dakota.”

Now it was her turn to raise her eyebrows. “Why so many places? Didn’t you get tired of moving?”

“Yes, and no. It was mostly for my job, but after I graduated from college, I wandered a bit. My parents passed away when I was sixteen—did Jude tell you that?—and after that, I was on my own.”

Mina hadn’t thought Jude had been in contact with Brennan since he’d moved away from Coral Beach, but if he had, he hadn’t told her Brennan had lost his parents. Her heart ached for him. How did a sixteen-year-old boy live without his parents to guide him?

“I’m so sorry, Brennan,” she said softly. “I had no idea about your parents.”

He shrugged. “Car accident. But I didn’t tell you that so you’d feel sorry for me.” He grinned, his teeth white in the dim light. “I’d rather you be impressed by my heroics tonight. I did save you from a ghost burglar.”

“A ghost burglar? I thought you didn’t find anything. Are you telling me my house is haunted?”

“Very, and only I can keep you safe.” His eyelids drifted down, and that smile hadn’t left his face.

Mina shivered at his sultry look. The kitchen suddenly felt unbearably warm.

“Now, tell me about you. What did you do after stepping on that sea urchin?” Brennan asked before finishing his hot chocolate.

“Nothing very exciting. Went to USC, got a degree in business, opened up my store right after graduation. I liked living in LA, but I was glad to return home, too.”

“I always missed Coral Beach, you know. It’s a good place to grow up.” Memories seemed to surface on his face, and he looked away for a moment. “My mom was sad to leave it when we moved. She loved the ocean.”

Mina didn’t know what to say to that, so she let Brennan remember in silence. She’d loved his mom. Juliet Dawson had been a warm-hearted woman who’d always given her and Jude something homemade to take home when they’d visited. Remembering, Mina felt even sadder at their loss.