Embracing Fate: A hot paranormal shifter book (Hidden Hills Shifters 4) (5 page)

Not putting anything in his drink, he picked up his coffee then glanced at her. “Do you have any idea who would want to break in?” He sounded very much like a cop taking her report instead of a concerned friend.

Her spine stiffened. “Are you opening an investigation?”

His shoulders sagged a bit. “Sorry, I can’t seem to turn off the cop in me, but yes since a crime was committed. You’ll have to fill out a report at some point.”

“Crap.” She let out a long breath. “I have no idea who would break my window. You said they didn’t get in, right?”

“They didn’t, but when I was coming back from the garage, I flashed the light on the door and it looked as if someone tried to kick it in but failed.”

Her stomach churned. “Why didn’t they try another window if they were so determined to get in?”

“When I find them, I’ll be sure to ask.” He blew on the steaming cup and then drank the hot brew.

“For a moment, I thought it might have been Brody, but he knows where I keep my spare key.” As she sank back against the sofa, she spotted the two pieces of paper she’d found on the floor. The one on the bottom had been a receipt for a shirt she’d purchased. The other she didn’t remember. Curious, she picked it up, and as she read it, her heart nearly stopped.

“What is it?” Cord’s voice was laced with concern.

“I’m not sure. It says, ‘Time’s running out.’” She handed the paper to him but he held up his palm.

“Set it on the table face up. There might be fingerprints on it.”

She didn’t care about that, but she did as he asked. “What do you think it means?”

Cord looked off, as if he was weighing his options. “I didn’t want to bring this up before, or at all really, but I think you should know what happened in that alley.” Cord was holding his coffee with both hands as if he needed the support.

Her stomach tumbled, and she was glad she hadn’t picked up her drink yet. She would have spilled it. “Tell me, please.”

“When I arrived on the scene of your brother’s attack, one of the men shouted at Brody, saying he needed to pay them what he owed or the next time the beating would be worse. Perhaps they want you to convince Brody to pay—that his time is running out.”

She clasped her hand to her chest to stop the pain from squeezing her heart. “I’ve never known him to gamble, and I don’t want to believe he’s doing drugs.”

“In either case, I doubt it’s something he’d tell his big sister. Perhaps he borrowed money for some other reason, and now is having trouble paying them back, especially if they charged him high interest rates.”

She thought she had a better relationship with her brother, and that he’d have come to her if he’d been in trouble, but apparently she’d been wrong. “I hope that’s it.”

Her mind spun. Piper thought back to the time when Brody had borrowed about four hundred dollars from her. He kept saying he’d reimburse her when he could, but he never had. Then there was the fact he’d forgotten to pay his cell phone bill. Damn. These little details pointed to Brody having some kind of addiction. “Do you think these men are trying to extort money from me?”

“I have no idea what to think, but I’m betting Brody can shed light on the situation. Do you think you can call him?”

“I was going to while you were in the garage.” She told him about his cell phone being cut off due to lack of payment. “He works at Chandler’s garage and will be there tomorrow morning. I can get a hold of him then.”

“When you do, see if you can convince him to give you the names of the men who assaulted him. We don’t need them coming around here again.”

“I will, but I can’t promise anything.” She ran her hands down her pants. “Thank you for everything. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d come home, seen the window broken, and then found that note.” Yes, she did. She’d have been scared shitless.

“I’m glad I was here.” Cord set down his cup of coffee. “I’m not trying to scare you, but it’s possible this person might come back tonight.”

Fear assaulted her, and she grabbed his wrist. “Why would they do that? They already delivered their message.”

“Desperate men do desperate things, which is why I’m staying the night.”

His authoritative comment took her breath away. He glanced down at her hand on his arm, acting as if it made him uncomfortable, so she released her grip. “You don’t have to. You don’t owe me.” If anything, she owed him.

“I’m born to protect. Now if you would be so kind, could you find me a pillow and a blanket? I’ll stretch out here on the sofa.”

As she tried to take in all of this information, her body refused to move. Some men might be trying to harm her, and at the same time this amazing man wanted to spend the night in her house. Her mouth couldn’t even form any words as conflicting emotions sped through her.

“If it’s too much trouble,” he said, “I have no problem sleeping on the floor in my bear form.”

It took her a moment to realize that he’d said
bear
instead of
bare
. For that second, the image of his naked body burned a hole in her brain and hardened her nipples. What was wrong with her?

Piper jumped up. “Of course.”

She rushed out of the room, feeling like a fool for thinking such prurient thoughts when danger loomed. Since she didn’t have any spare pillows, she took a clean case from the linen closet then grabbed the extra pillow off her bed along with the folded quilt she always slept with. Her mother had hand-stitched it a year before she died, and it meant a lot to her.

With the linens in hand, she stepped into the living room. Seeing him relaxed on her couch sped up her heartbeat. The man emitted a sexual aura so strong she could almost feel the pulses vibrate between her legs. “I hope these will be enough.”

“I’m sure they will, thank you.”

While she was definitely too nervous to sleep, staying here with him would only make things worse. “Good night then.”

“Don’t worry, Piper, nothing will happen. I promise.” An unusually strong ache colored his tone.

She believed him. “Night.”

She scurried back down the hall, fearing that if she stayed, she might say something to upset him. The man seemed to have quite a few hot buttons whenever he was around her.

Who am I kidding?

If she stayed, she’d want to touch him then kiss him, if only to absorb his strength and comfort. If he asked for more, she wouldn’t say no.

Chapter Five

C
ord had messed
up again. He hadn’t meant for Piper to rush off and bring him the bedding right away, but it was probably for the best. Spending any more time with her, especially when she was upset, and fighting the urge to hold her was taking its toll on his control.

It was barely ten o’clock, but if he turned on the television, she might think he’d asked for the bedding so that she’d leave him alone, and that was the furthest thing from his mind. He simply didn’t trust himself.

After checking that the doors and windows were locked, he clicked off the lights, and lay down on the sofa, wanting to make it look to an outsider as if Piper had gone to bed. With his vehicle in front, though, he doubted anyone would attempt anything.

Cord was trained to rest while being aware of his surroundings, the slightest sound rousing him. His senses were so finely tuned that if Piper rose in the middle of the night, he’d be able to distinguish her from an intruder.

He closed his eyes, but the image of her long, wavy auburn hair and sensuous body remained. He tried not to think about her alabaster skin or the way her large breasts filled out her top, but he failed—miserably. The pressure in his groin was proof that this woman would forever haunt his dreams.

Try as he might not to think about her, the hair on his body began to push through his skin, and his nails elongated. Not wanting to shift, Cord forced himself to picture the men beating Brody, and soon the nasty scene doused some of his sexual energy. He had to do something about his intense need to be with her, or chance Piper finding out about them being mates. No doubt, that would scare her more than a hundred intruders.

If he didn’t gain some control soon, she’d question his odd reactions whenever she touched him, and then he’d have to think of some excuse to tell her, and lying wasn’t his style.

Around one in the morning, the wind picked up, taking his mind off his erotic thoughts. He would doze for a bit then stir every time a gust of wind beat against the window. So far, his slat of wood over the empty pane held, but he wouldn’t be surprised if it eventually came loose.

After a while, Cord was able to ignore the buffeting wind and force his body to relax. He must’ve fallen asleep because when something hard hit the glass, he jerked awake. Out of habit, he shifted into his panther form so that he could better sense his surroundings. Another bang resonated, only this time it came from Piper’s bedroom. Shit.

Not wanting to rush into her room in his animal form, he shifted back to human and ran down the hallway. Fearing someone had broken in, he didn’t take the time to stop and listen or analyze the scents. Instead he plowed into her room, the door banging against the wall. He stilled and then scanned the area but found no one other than Piper inside.

She jerked up and gasped. How stupid of him not to realize she’d think he was the intruder. Damn. That wasn’t like him to be fooled.

“It’s okay. It’s me—Cord.” He rushed toward her. Crap. He didn’t seem to be able to do much right when it came to her.

“Cord? Is someone here?”

The anguish in her voice tore at him. “No, I heard a noise.”

She clicked on the light next to her bed and when she leaned back, his body inflamed with desire. Her beautiful hair was tangled and mussed, her eyes slightly swollen as if she’d been crying, and her breathing was ragged. The urge to hold her made him ache.

“You mean that scratching sound?” She sounded more amused than upset.

He replayed the noise in his head—anything to take his mind off her sensuality—though he’d been certain it was more of a bang. If it really had only been a light tapping or brushing sound, he’d have to admit that he’d lost his touch. “Yes.”

She waved a hand. “It’s a branch that always hits my window when the wind picks up. I’ve been meaning to get the tree pruned but haven’t had the time.”

She might be right. Now he felt silly for reacting like that. Had she not been his mate, he probably wouldn’t have been so obsessive. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

“You didn’t. I haven’t been able to sleep.” She patted the bed next to her, indicating he should sit next to her. “Stay for a bit.”

It was one thing to sit by her on the sofa in her living room, but it was another to be with her on her bed. His hormones were already soaring, and the urge to kiss her was growing stronger by the minute. “That’s not a good idea,” he said.

Her jaw slightly dropped. “I just want to talk.”

Now he’d hurt her feelings. “Then sure.”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he recognized his mistake, but he couldn’t back down now. He sat on the edge and tried not to stare at those kissable lips or lower his gaze to her chest. If he caught sight of her nipples poking through the thin shirt, all bets would be off, because no matter how much he’d try to stop himself, the two animals inside him would gang up and override all of his objections.

“What if you don’t find the man? Do you think I’ll be safe?”

For once in his life, he couldn’t tell if she was asking him to stay on as her bodyguard because she was attracted to him, or if she was truly worried she might be harmed.

“I wish I knew what to tell you. I’m going to do my best to find out who it was.”

When she took hold of his hand, powerful lust surged through him. Before he could gently pull out of her grasp, Piper leaned forward and kissed him, and his inner beast threatened to erupt. With great concentration, he steeled himself against taking her.

She broke the kiss a few seconds later. “I know you didn’t have to stay, and I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

Her sincerity nearly undid him. Cord stood, needing to get out of there. “Just doing my job.”

That was far from the truth, but he wasn’t ready to tell her how much she meant to him. Maybe soon.