The Panther's Surrogate: A Paranormal Pregnancy Romance (16 page)

“You’ll never become Alpha, Bradley. Now while I’m alive and not while the people of this pack trust me. You'll never be anything except the lowlife you are now. You should just be happy I allow you in this pack at all, because each and every day that you insult me, I’m one step closer to kicking you out for good. Forever.” Bradley smirked, “Tsk tsk. Such harsh words from such an amateur.” He sipped his wine again and made another face. He looked down at his dinner, frowning.

“On second thought, I might as well eat outside with the vermin. It seems less of a dump than this place,” he  said, turning his nose up and making his way out of the dining room.

“It’s not like we want him here, either,”  Charles mumbled, looking back over at Stuart who had watched the entire exchange in silence.

“Why don’t you just throw him out of the pack?” Stuart asked after a lengthy pause.

“Many reasons. He knows too much. I don’t want to start a war by excommunicating him or deal with an uprising if he does choose  to attempt one. I’d rather keep him closer and deal with him instead of kicking  him out and allowing him to find like-minded shapeshifters to try to take over our lives. Also, I feel like he keeps me on my toes so I’m more aware of what’s going on and that is a very good trait to have,”  Charles said knowledgeably.

Stuart smirked and then they both looked back down at his phone.

“Start looking, sir,”  Stuart advised.

Charles nodded and the two of them began their hunt for a woman who would be the perfect mate for him. Some of the profiles said nothing at all, others gave too many details, others said stupid things, but the ones he found the best were when they listed off details he actually cared about. Like if they watched movies, what type of person they were, and if they liked to try new things. He didn’t realize how engrossed in the app he was until Stuart yawned loudly and patted him on the back.

“I must be going, sir,” Stuart said, standing up and stretching his stiff back.

“Where?” Charles asked absentmindedly.

Stuart laughed.  “To bed. I’m tired. Keep looking, though. I’m sure you’ll find one. I have faith in you.”

Charles nodded eagerly and closed the app for a minute as he too went up to bed. He made his way to his bedroom with attached bathroom. He stripped off his clothes and took a long shower as he thought about the day's events. How could he ensure that Bradley stayed away and yet stayed simultaneously close? It was a difficult decision, one that Charles had to deal with. He knew the other pack members hated him, as well, but there was only so much he could do about Bradley without banishing him. But oh, how he wished he could banish him. He was anything but welcomed into the pack.

Charles searched his brain, trying to remember what it was that brought Bradley into the pack in the first place. He couldn’t remember precisely, but he remembered his father had brought in Bradley. His father -- who always had a big heart and always wanted to help others. He could remember how his father was the one who had rescued Bradley. Bradley had belonged to a rather vicious pack. They tried to take over Charles’ father’s pack many, many times and were always unsuccessful, until Charles was about sixteen, which was the same year his mother died.

The pack that Bradley belonged to then, killed her. There was a huge fight and the only remaining member was Bradley, who was also sixteen at the time. Charles’ father had given him a choice: join them or be killed as well. Bradley agreed to join them, and much to Charles’s annoyance, he became like a second son to Charles’s father. After the death of his mother, his father was never the same, but he seemed to replace his love with vicious hatred for other packs. He also seemed to stop loving Charles, favoring Bradley instead.

They had started out as friends, if ever so briefly, until Charles realized his father was spending more time with Bradley, that he was talking with Bradley instead of him. Maybe it was because Charles reminded his father so much of his mother that he couldn’t bear to look at him. Or, maybe it was because his father had simply stopped loving him, much the same way he’d lost that spark from his eyes when his mother died. Regardless, Charles still had a deep loathing for the asshole who had stolen his father away and he was sure that it wasn’t going to go away any time soon.

The problem was, he had to find a solution before it was too late. He hoped Sinder would give him the solution of securing his status. He knew he would die defending his Alpha status and as long as he was alive, he was going to be Alpha.

***

Charles was awoken in the early hours of the morning to find a message from Sinder, letting him know he had some matches. He smiled and rolled over, his mind already whirling with possibilities of all the ladies who would soon be entering his life.

Sometime later, when he awoke to go to work, he looked on the app to find he had no less than ten matches. He looked through the girls, taking in each and every one of them, wondering if one of them would be the one to capture his heart and be his mate. He finally stopped on a skinny brunette who had kind eyes, a big smile, and a cute button nose. He knew when he looked at her that she was the one. He looked over her profile again to make sure he was choosing well and that she would be the one to be his mate. He read about her likes, dislikes, and what she wanted in a man.

He liked that she was specific and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. He read her name out loud. “Julia Swiftman,” he   said, letting the name roll of his tongue.

He grinned, surprised that he liked the sound of it. Then he pressed on her profile about how they matched, and he wrote her a ‘hello’ greeting. He grinned in anticipation, hoping this woman would be the one to help him achieve his goal of staying Alpha.

Chapter 2

Julia Swiftman was nervous for her date. She hadn’t been out with a man in a very long time, over a year at the very least, and that alone was making Julia’s stomach flip. Added to the fact that the guy she was supposed to be meeting was ridiculously good looking – if his picture was any indication – and he had a good job. He also, if talking to him over the phone was any sign, seemed to be genuinely nice, funny, and smart.

He seemed like everything Julia wanted in a man, but she still was wary that he was a shapeshifter. She figured he must be a shapeshifter, or he liked hooking up with them, she wasn’t sure which, to be honest. But Sinder was an app to find people who were either shapeshifters or wanted shapeshifters.

She had taken her time, more time than she would like to admit, to get ready for the date. She had chosen a yellow dress that complimented her skin tone really well, coupled with red lipstick that made her eyes brighten and stand out. She chose a pair of black heels that accented her toenail color, which was the same red as her lipstick.

She thought she looked pretty damn good, if she did say so herself. She had taken a lot of time and effort to get ready, so she hoped that Charles appreciated it.

She waited until ten minutes before leaving for her date; she didn’t want to seem over-eager to meet him, so she made sure to be a little late. She tried to muster all of her courage and tell herself that everything would be fine and that she’d have a lot of fun. She was nervous that he wouldn’t be like how he described himself, or a disappointment. She was nervous that the first date she’d gone on in way too long, would be a let-down. She tried to think positively but she was still nervous.

She checked her makeup one more time before gathering her nonexistent courage and heading to the restaurant. She sat in her car for a minute before getting out and going inside, , trying to swing her hips with false confidence. She went to the podium to greet the hostess and she took her to the table Charles had reserved. She was surprised to see Charles had already arrived. He was even more handsome than she had initially thought he’d be.

The hostess stopped and moved to pull out her chair. , Charles stood and offered a hand to her. “I’m Charles.” He greeted with a charming smile.

She let out a gasp and then blushed at the thought of how idiotic she must look. “I’m Julia,” she replied, pumping his hand enthusiastically before sitting across from him.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Charles said, going back to his own seat and grinning at her.

She blushed, taking him in and then tried to avoid seeming flustered by looking at the menu.

He was gorgeous and she figured he probably knew it. His picture didn’t do him justice. He had auburn hair and whiskey colored eyes that seemed to burn into her. She felt her stomach rolling with nerves; she almost wished he wasn’t as attractive as he was. He was funny, nice, and smart during their brief phone conversations. Now he appeared even more fantastic: a man who seemed impossibly perfect.

She finally willed herself to look up and he grinned at her again. “So Julia, tell me a little about yourself. “ Charles suggested, waving a hand forward in interest.

She felt her stomach flip again and looked down at the menu to avoid his beautiful eyes. “Well I work,” she said, blushing at how stupid she’d sounded by pointing out the obvious. She worked. Of course she worked. She winced inwardly and cleared her throat when the waiter put some water on the table. “Of course, I work. I just meant that I work…a lot.” She said it quickly, to cover up her nervousness.

He grinned and looked at the waiter, who was patiently waiting to tell them what some of the specials were. Once he was done, Julia ordered a glass of wine and an appetizer he had mentioned that sounded like it could be pretty good. Charles ordered the same wine and asked for some bread for them to share. When the waiter left, Charles turned back to her with a smile.

“So you work? What else?” he asked curiously.

She grinned and began to tell him about her life, little by little. She felt odd telling someone about her herself and they being genuinely interested. She couldn’t remember the last time someone was interested in what she said, but it seemed like Charles actually was.

“So what about you?” Julia asked, when she had finished with telling him a ridiculous story about something that had happened at work a few weeks ago.

“What about me?” he asked, surprised.

“What do you like to do?” she asked nervously, noticing that the smile fell from his face.

“Well," he said carefully, "I live in a nice house and I work a lot. I love my job. I also love the outdoors,” he   said, shrugging.

“I like the outdoors too.” Julia was happy they had something in common.

Charles grinned and they began to talk about what they liked to do outside. The conversation switched to another issue and then they found themselves having more things in common. Shortly after they received their food, they ordered a few more drinks. By the time dinner was over, Julia was feeling very happy and pretty drunk. She watched as Charles ordered them dessert and then they lapsed into a comfortable silence.

“You know, I really like you,” Charles said, staring at her hopefully from across the table.

“You do?” she asked, surprised, and then shook her head. “I mean, thank you. I like you too.”

He laughed and reached across the table to hold her hand. She had noticed he did quite a bit, especially the more they drank. She wasn’t one of those types of girls to sleep with a guy on the first date but she genuinely liked Charles and she hadn’t had sex in a long while. She wondered if it would be too forward to ask him to come home with her.

“So what do you think you’ll get for dessert?” Julia asked, for lack of anything else to say.

“Do you want to share some chocolate mousse?” Charles asked, as the waiter approached to take their order.

“Sure.” The waiter nodded and took their order.

“So, I was thinking maybe after we’re finished with dinner, you would want to come back to my place. Maybe we could have a few more drinks,” she suggested nervously.

Charles raised an eyebrow, not sure how to respond and then nodded, figuring he wanted to get to know this girl a little better.
They would only have a few drinks,
he thought. He wasn’t planning on having sex with her, he still had to decide whether she would be a good fit for his life and world.

“Sure.” She smiled and began to ask him more about his work until their dessert came. When the waiter brought the little bowl they both dived into the chocolate mousse. She moaned a little at how good it tasted and he couldn’t help but watch as she genuinely enjoyed what she was eating. They finished the dessert quickly.

Since they both drank a little too much, they decided to take a cab back to Julia’s. She figured she could come get her car the next day and Charles had taken a cab there, so it didn’t matter overall. As they neared her apartment, Julia began to get nervous and she couldn’t figure out why she had virtually asked a complete stranger to come over to her house. Sure, she wanted to get to know him more, and it wouldn’t hurt to sleep with him, but he could be a murderer, for all she knew.

They arrived at her apartment and the two of them went toward the building, both feeling nervous at what was to come. Julia fiddled with her keys and finally led them up to her apartment. When she got to the door of her apartment, she scuffled with her keys yet again and Charles laughed at how they were both so nervous.

“You know, I can just get a cab and I can call you tomorrow,” he suggested, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

She shook her head and then gave him a shy smile. “It’s not like we’re going to do anything. We’re just having a drink,” she reasoned logically.

He raised an eyebrow at her, but let it go while they both pretended to not hear the tremble in her voice. She wasn’t sure if she was more filled with nervousness or anticipation.

“So this is my place.” She waved a hand around the room. “What do you want to drink?” she asked turning to look at him.

She caught him staring at some pictures on the mantel and he gave her a quick smile before turning back to her. “Do you have beer?” he asked curiously.

She nodded and went to get them two beers.

“So where did you grow up?” she asked when she returned.

“Around here. I’m pretty close to my family,” he said vaguely, popping the beer open and taking a sip.

She smiled and they began to talk about their childhoods. They drank the first beer pretty quickly and Julia went to get them a second one, wondering if it was a good idea, when she had already drank so much that night. When she returned to the living room to find him looking at her books, they transferred the conversation to books until they needed a third one.

“Do you want another?” she asked, gazing up at him with glassy eyes.

“No.” Then he reached for her and kissed her hard on the lips.

She pulled away, surprised, and stared at him in awe.

“Sorry, I've been wanting to do that all night.” He started moving away, but before he could get too far, she pulled him back to her.

Julia kissed him passionately and he found himself surprised at her response. She could feel Charles’ hands all over her, gripping the tight fabric of her clothes and letting his hands move upward, both wanting to feel more skin, but neither making a move to take their clothes off.

Their kisses turned more hurried and Julia crawled onto his lap, making sure to grind her clothed center against his rapidly hardening cock. Julia ran her own hands through his hair, enjoying the thickness. She gave his hair a little tug to the side, changing the angle of their kisses. Julia shivered over him and then suddenly, Charles pushed her away slightly, needing to take some time to get his breathing under control.

“I’m sorry,” Charles said, suddenly breaking the spell that seemed to settle over them.

“For what?” she asked, feeling hazy from his kisses.

“For kissing you, I mean, I enjoyed kissing you, I just don’t want to rush,” he stuttered, avoiding her gaze.

“Charles, I’m not complaining,” she said, quietly drawing his eyes to look at her, wanting to convey how little she was, in fact, complaining.

He looked over at her, suddenly amazed and then without warning, he launched himself at her again. She gasped at the sudden contact and tightened her grip around him, making sure to wrap her arms around his neck. There was so little room between them nothing seemed to be able to pry them apart. The kisses were even hotter than before, their tongues began to dance together and Charles’s hands began to roam under her dress, creating little shocks of pleasure that shot through her.

She ground down on him harder and they both sucked in a breath at the same time when they pulled apart. She lifted the bottom of her dress and began to pull it over her head, wanting to rid herself of any clothes. She began to unbutton the buttons on his shirt, before he stilled her with a nervous hand. She paused in her work and looked up at him with a question forming in her eye.

“Wait! Julia, don’t you want a bed? Should we go to the bed?” he asked curiously, not wanting to break apart from her, but knowing that if they wanted to be more comfortable he may have to.

She shook her head, knowing if they changed location she wouldn’t go through with what she wanted. If they left the sanctuary of the living room, she knew she’d come to her senses, and right now, the last thing she wanted was clarity. She just wanted to feel something. She figured since she liked him so much, maybe it wouldn’t hurt, just this once, to sleep with someone right away. Besides, she hadn’t slept with a man in a very long time; sometimes a girl just had to go with her desires.

She just wanted to stop fucking thinking for five seconds and enjoy getting under someone. She just wanted Charles. She just wanted to feel him inside her.

“No time,” she said, breathing into his neck and subconsciously memorizing his scent.

She reached down between them and unzipped his pants, prodding him a bit to allow her to move his pants down his legs. She watched as his cock sprang free and she took a minute to admire it. It was bigger than she thought, and it was all for her.

He was already hard and she licked her lips subconsciously at the thought of him filling her up to the hilt. Julia kissed him softly on the lips before moving to the side to take off her underwear. She sat before him in a bra and he automatically went to undo her bra, so she was sitting on his knees, naked. She didn’t like being the only one naked so she removed the rest of his shirt before she moved in for another kiss. He immediately responded and as their lips were connected she got onto her knees and slid down until he filled her.

He reached out to touch her and she unconsciously arched into his hands as he caressed her skin, it seemed to be like silk in his hands. He watched as her nipples rapidly hardened and he seemed in awe of how they looked when they were hard just for him. She leaned in to kiss him before she began to move against him, making sure to graze her clit against something to create friction. When she pulled away from his lips, she watched as he moved to cup her breasts and stare down at them.

He moved forward and took one nipple in his mouth as one hand began to fondle the other breast. She let her eyes close briefly, enjoying the sensation and then she snapped back to reality. She made sure to continue her slow movements, not wanting either of them to come too fast. She wanted to enjoy her pleasure. She hadn’t had sex in so long and she needed to savor this moment. She wanted to know that if he never called, she had at least something to remember him by.