Shifter Romance: BODHI (LOST CREEK SHIFTERS NOVELLAS Book 4) Read online

  “Your dad’s a good man,” Bodhi said. “I think he’ll be happy we’ve found each other.”

  Natalie smiled and leaned in to kiss Bodhi again. She couldn’t say exactly why, but she had the distinct feeling he was right.

  11.

  The sign was finally up on the front of the store, and it shone neon pink in all of its glory.

  “Do you think we’re sending out the right vibe?” Arlo joked to Bodhi as the two stood back admiring their handy work.

  “I think it’s perfect, boys,” Natalie said with a grin. “It has big, badass bears written all over it.”

  “Very funny,” Bodhi said as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. He kissed her on the top of the head and breathed in her delicious scent. It had been what had drawn him to her in the first place on the day he had saved her, and now he couldn’t get enough.

  Unbroken Nails…

  It was both perfect and ironic.

  The sign swung high and glistened like a beacon in the middle of Main Street. And Natalie couldn’t have been any prouder.

  “I’ve been dreaming of this day for so long,” she said as she clapped her hands together. “And it’s finally here! How can I ever thank you both enough?”

  “I know how you thank me enough,” Bodhi whispered in her ear. And it made Natalie giggle. His hands were resting on her hips and he pulled her back so she was between his legs. That was her favorite place to be, guarded and safe. Protected by her man.

  “Well, opening is in half an hour,” Arlo said. “I’ll wish you good luck and bid you Adieu. I have to be over at the bar, stop the hooligans from running riot.”

  “Thanks so much, Arlo,” Natalie beamed. “You’ve been a star.”

  “Don’t thank me,” he said with a wink. “Thank Bodhi.”

  Bodhi kissed her on the back of the head and held her tight.

  “Thank you, Bodhi,” she turned her head to the side and kissed him on the lips. “You really are too good to me.”

  “You deserve it,” he said. “And I know you’re going to rock this.”

  They stood back and looked up at how far they had come. Since Natalie had taken over the shop, they had completely transformed it in a few short weeks and now it was opening day and they couldn’t wait to get started.

  “I’ll get the champagne on ice,” Bodhi said as he made his way toward the door. “Only the best for my woman.”

  Natalie hugged her arms around herself, missing his heat and his touch. There had barely been a day when they were apart, and she hated him to leave her. She surveyed the space one last time before the guests arrived for the first official day of business. It had been a long time coming, but with the help of Bodhi,

  She followed him inside and Natalie was finally realizing her dreams.

  “I always knew together we could take over the world,” Natalie said with a laugh.

  “We could, babe,” Bodhi agreed as he looked up at her with a smile from across the room. “We are a true power couple.”

  “Funny, I thought exactly the same.”

  She smiled and went to be by his side. She wrapped her arm around him and nuzzled into his chest.

  “We have a lot to look forward to,” she whispered. “And I can’t wait to see where the future is going to lead.”

  “You’re amazing, do you know that?” he said as he looked deep into her eyes. “You’ve taken all I’ve had to throw at you in stride, and you just keep thriving.”

  Natalie’s heart skipped a beat.

  “Maybe, on some level, I’ve known Lost Creek’s secret all along,” she said. “Maybe you and I have always had a connection through my father, who knows. All I’m sure of is that from the moment we met, I’ve never wanted to let you go.”

  “And now you don’t have to,” Bodhi smiled as he leaned in and kissed her.

  They stood looking at each other for a moment. Natalie could spend hours getting lost in those deep brown eyes, it was one of her favorite places to be and she knew that would never change.

  Footsteps were approaching outside and from the sound of the stiletto heels, they were most certainly going to be for Unbroken Nails.

  “This is it,” Bodhi said. “Are you ready?”

  Natalie kissed him again and held him close.

  “I’m more ready than anything,” she whispered. “Let’s do this.”

  The door opened to the salon, along with the door to the rest of their lives. They had built something together and they were starting their journey side by side. What was always meant to be had found its magical way.

  For Natalie and Bodhi, they were both finally home.

  THE END

  BONUS STORIES

  My New Billionaire Stepbrother

  Cynthia Wilde

  Copyright ©2015 by Cynthia Wilde. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Thank you so much for your interest in my work!

  1

  Jennifer wished that she didn’t have to be there at all. But there she stood in a hideous pink bridesmaid dress, standing next to her mother while she married the man of her dreams. She was having every girl’s fantasy wedding. Her fiancée had told her that money was no object, and by the attention to detail and the spare-no-expense feel of this affair, it was clear he hadn’t been lying. Jennifer hated his constant show of wealth, but her mother Darla apparently was looking for the financial reassurance of stability over the spiritual connection of emotional attachment and chemistry. At the same time, Jennifer had to admit that the chocolate fondue fountain her mom had planned would be pretty awesome. The light show would be cool too, for that matter. Still, she would have rather stayed home.

  Her mother’s new husband Ryan was a bit older than she was, maybe by ten years. Jennifer was never privy to their exact age difference, but everyone with eyes could tell when the couple was out together. To be fair that was really not a big deal. If she had really liked the guy she wouldn’t have thought twice about it. But Jennifer never really did warm up to him during the whirlwind three month courtship. She kept that to herself as best as she could though, because her mother just seemed so happy. She couldn’t bear to be the one to rain on the woman’s parade, so she just kept her mouth shut and tried as best as she could to be supportive.

  Jennifer was happy to see that the ritual ceremony was over and people were getting up to head to the reception. She went to congratulate her mother one last time before leaving them to go change and get to the other venue.

  “Congrats mom, you look so adorable.”

  Jennifer was being honest, as her mother was radiating a glow that was hard to surpass. She looked as close to radiant as she ever got and the dress was just beautiful. That dress probably cost more than Jennifer would make in a year, and it showed. All of the detail and embroidery really made it stand out.

  “Thank you baby. Stick around Jenny, so you can meet your new brothers.”

  Jennifer looked confused since she had never heard of Ryan having any children. She envisioned a couple of teens that he had from a previous marriage.

  “I didn’t know I was getting new brothers out of this deal, mom. No one ever tells me anything. I go off to school fifty miles away and ….oh, never mind. I will see you at the reception and meet them then, okay?”

  The blonde tried to smile, hiding her true feelings from her mother. As always her mother was distracted and didn’t seem to notice her daughter’s annoyance. She walked away as she heard her mom gushing to her oldest friend, Ruth. Jennifer pulled her hair out of the fancy up-do which had taken an hour to create. Shaking her hair out, she slid into her old Mazda, which had been parked in front of the church, and headed down to the country club where the reception was to be held. Well, at least she wouldn’t have trouble findin
g her car in that parking lot later. Being almost 10 years old, it would certainly stand out, she thought, shaking her head.

  Jennifer sat in her car for a few minutes after she pulled in. She hunted for her party dress and pulled it on after taking off the pink fluffy nightmare dress that her mom made her wear. It was now the tackiest, most expensive dress she owned and she hoped to hock it on Ebay as soon as she got back to school. Maybe someone would buy it, or at least she hoped so. She figured it would at least pay for a few books if nothing else.

  Jennifer fluffed her hair and re-applied some light pink lipstick. She lit and took a few quick drags on a cigarette before stubbing it out and going inside, blowing smoke out of her lips as she went. She knew almost no one there and Jennifer found herself walking towards the bar. The buffet would be her second stop.

  “Do you have an I.D. miss?”

  “Oh come on, I’m the daughter of the bride. If I have to be here, the least you can do is give me a couple of shots.”

  “I’m sorry miss, but no card, no drinks.”

  Jennifer was about to say something else when a tall, dark-haired man came up behind her.

  “I need….”

  The man looked over at Jennifer and waited for her to answer.

  “Double vodka.”

  The bartender looked between the two, and rather than protest, did as the man, who also seemed to be his employer, bade. Jennifer thanked the attractive stranger and then headed towards the buffet table with drink in hand. She didn’t care for weddings in general, and especially not for this one in particular. Probably as a direct result, her cup was empty by the time she got back to the table. Jennifer looked around for the handsome stranger for a moment and when she didn’t see him, she decided to try her luck for another drink on her own.

  The young, tuxedo clad bartender already had another one poured and ready for her when she got back. Pleasantly surprised, she thanked him.

  “I told him to keep ‘em coming for you all night, as many as you wish…as long as don’t get too wasted.”

  The change of tone was welcomed, as well as suspicious. She took the drink and walked toward the closest available table. For the moment she ignored decorum and the standard prearranged seating. She just wasn’t in the mood. Jennifer had just picked a random seat when her new tall, dark and handsome friend joined her, taking a seat on her left.

  “Hi.”

  Jennifer looked over at the man and said hello back. He was ruggedly handsome and he was dressed impeccably. Jennifer didn’t know that much about custom tailored suits, but she suspected that was what he was wearing. He reeked of money, as most of the people around her did. Some of those at the reception seemed to make a show of every bit of jewelry, and took every opportunity to mention their connections, but he carried it all off effortlessly, as if he might as well have been wearing a pair of old overalls. His brown eyes held hers captivated for a moment, before she looked down at her plate.

  “So um, thanks back there. I really needed a drink.”

  “That bad?”

  “Yes.”

  She didn’t elaborate and he didn’t press. She ate a few bites and then looked over at him. Jennifer could feel the man’s dark eyes on her and she waited for him to say something.

  “Are you here for the bride or groom?”

  “Bride, ugh, definitely the bride.”

  “You don’t like the groom?”

  “He makes her happy. That’s what’s important.”

  “So what you really mean is that he’s a pompous jerk,” he laughed.

  “Are you here for the groom?”

  The man chuckled and nodded.

  “That I am. My name is Charles, yours?”

  “Jennifer, nice to meet you.”

  Jennifer finished her drink and looked over at the bar, debating if she wanted to leave to get yet another one. She found herself attracted to the tall, handsome man and he seemed to be interested in her as well. Before she had time to act first, he excused himself and headed to the bar. Walking back with the drink in each hand, he looked devastatingly gorgeous. He placed her drink in front of her nonchalantly. His hair was a bit longer than was the fashion at the moment, ending at the collar. It had a slight wave to it and was almost pitch black. His skin had an olive tone and his eyes, when focused on a person, were hard to hold a gaze with. They were just so intense.

  “Thank you. I think I should slow down, I am starting to feel a bit of a reckless smile on my face.”

  “There is a smile on there, and it is beautiful. If you were mine, I would make sure you smiled like that every day.”

  Charles leaned in close, but instead of going for a kiss, he just asked her if she wanted to dance. His face was beside hers, his words whispered gently into her ear. She tingled with the non-touch, his hot breath playing with her sensitive earlobe.

  “Sure,” she said, trying to play it cool, while a wave of heat washed over her entire body.

  2

  Jennifer took another gulp and set her glass down. They had long since abandoned their hijacked seating in favor of a more subtle bench of to the side of the venue where they could enjoy some light conversation. The liquid courage helped her hands shake less as he led her out onto the dance floor once again. The quick beat they had risen to was almost immediately replaced with a slow and steady love song that pulled all the couples, including them, in closer. His hand grabbed her around the waist and pulled her near. She gasped as his hands settled just below her hips and her front was pushed against his hard, and apparently very athletic, body.

  He moved her around slowly, but she was already breathing quickly from his touch. Her hands encircled his neck and she looked up at him with clouding green eyes. Jennifer could feel her body heating up, both from the vodka, as well as from her carnal reaction to his proximity. There was just something about the way he held her and looked at her that made Jennifer almost swoon. She couldn’t be sure, but she sensed it was more than just the alcohol. The song was over too quickly and she disengaged her arms almost reluctantly as he led them off the dance floor.

  She moved back towards the table and decided she needed to sit down anyhow. Her knees were a little wobbly, though she blamed it on booze. Her mother was coming out about the same time and waved to her as Charles sat back down next to her. His chair seemed closer and he was definitely leaning towards her just a little more than was usual.

  “So what are your plans Jennifer?”

  “Stay here as long as I have to and then get some studying done. What about you?”

  “Studying? So you are in college?”

  “Yeah, upstate.”

  “What are you studying?”

  “Law. I plan to work pro-bono.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I would rather help people than make money.”

  Charles did not see a need for a distinction, but he nodded empathetically nonetheless.

  “Well, I guess we all have to ‘follow our bliss’, as they say.”

  Jennifer looked down at her plate, unsure of how to take his comment, and feeling the effects of the alcohol more strongly than ever. She gaped when she saw her sister on a small stage about to give a speech. She had completely forgotten that she was supposed to give one as well. There was no way she was going to get up there in front of all of those people at this point and give a slurred speech though. She ducked her head slightly and looked around to be sure no one else had located her. Spotting her mother and seeing that she wasn’t looking, Jennifer got up quickly. Walking towards the front of the building, she checked around and then pushed open the door to the coat room and stealthily slipped inside. She figured this would be a safe place to ride out the speech portion of the party.

  Breathing out a sigh after a moment, she looked around at the rows of coats, numbered tags stuck to most of them. Hearing the door open behind her, she was pleasantly surprised to see Charles when she turned around.

  “Why did you run off?”

 
“I am supposed to make a speech and I really don’t think I am in any condition for it at the moment. Trust me. It’s better for all of us if I sit this one out.”

  “You don’t seem that drunk to me.”

  “I am not drunk, just really really really tipsy,” she laughed.

  “Ah, so I shouldn’t get try for a kiss then huh?”

  “I am really just a little tipsy,” she quickly amended.

  Charles came closer, closing the door behind him as he advanced. Jennifer took a step back and found her back against the wall. The man may have asked, but he sure didn’t wait for an answer as he bent down to touch her lips with his. Jennifer was surprised by his boldness, but her lips instantly responded to his. As they kissed, he pulled her in close like he had when they were dancing. The flush over her body was no longer tied to anything other than him.

  Against any objections that may have lingered in the back of her mind, her body pressed hard against his. She molded her soft curves around his taut, muscled chest. His hands went gently to either side of her head and pressed her against the wall. The move pinned her in front of him as his every move seemed to telegraph the electric attraction he also had running through his system.

  Jennifer was lost to this man who seemed to engulf her with his strength as he stood against her. She whimpered and could feel herself responding in her own ways, both above and below the belt. She could hear applause in the other room and it reminded her that she was at her mother’s wedding, making out with some random rich guy in the coat room. Her hand pushed against his hard chest and he reluctantly yielded when she repeated the motion.

  “Stop, I’ve got to go.”

  “The reception just started Jennifer…”

  Her hand was firmer on his chest, even as one of his started to cup her small breast. Jennifer wanted to stay right there, but she did need to go. His lips captured hers once more and silenced her protest. The hard knot in his pants pressed against her quim and she instantly felt a surge of fluid inside her, readying her love tunnel for his penetration. Her body was running on autopilot and demanding more. Jennifer wanted the man right then and there. She was ready to give it to him as his hand started to ascend one of her thighs under her dress, but thankfully someone came in the small room and disrupted the strangers from doing something they may have regretted.