Claim Me (Curves For The Alpha) (BBW Erotic Romance) Read online

  You’re so completely hopeless.

  Finally, he decided he couldn’t wait any longer. Who cared if he was early? Stopping only to pick up some flowers, he drove to her house, arriving a good twenty minutes early. He stepped up to the door, flowers in hand, and knocked. When nobody answered, he frowned and looked over at the driveway, but her car was parked, so she had to be there.

  Suddenly, his sensitive ears became aware of the sound of running water—she was taking a shower. Instantly, he was assailed by an image of a naked Jade standing under the showerhead, rivulets of water running down her bare skin, her hands in her hair as she rinsed off her fiery tresses beneath the spray.

  Oh God.

  Before he could stop himself, he tried the doorknob, and found to both his horror and delight that she’d left it unlocked. He let himself in, and was instantly hit by the scent of potpourri and flowers. Everything was very tasteful and feminine, from the lacy pillows on the living room couch to the fruit and flower centerpiece on the dining room table. The water had stopped, but he could hear her humming softly, and so followed the sound to the bathroom.

  She’d left the door open and was standing in front of the sink stark naked, the glow of the bathroom lights washing over her creamy skin. He stopped dead in his tracks, but stepped straight onto a creaky floorboard. The loud noise gave him away, and she turned toward him, those green eyes going wide the way they’d done last night.

  “Fuck.”

  “Braum!” Jade grabbed a towel and clutched it to the front of her body, her cheeks flushing scarlet. “What are you doing here?”

  “I knocked,” he said, his voice low and guttural. “You didn’t answer, so I let myself in.”

  “Well, you’re early.” She crossed her arms over her chest, which only served to push the plump mounds of her breasts even higher. “Do you mind if I go and get dressed?”

  She really should. It might help reroute some of the blood back to his brain. “Yes.”

  “Well in that case I’ll—what?”

  Fighting back a low growl, he crossed the distance between them. “Yes, I do mind.” He could smell her arousal, strong and potent, through the steam and perfume, and he couldn’t stop himself.

  “What are you—”

  “I want you, Jade.” He yanked the towel out of her hands, then pulled her flush against him and kissed the breath out of her.

  Her soft, slightly damp curves molded perfectly to his hard body, making him erupt into a raging inferno of desire. He swept his tongue inside her mouth, drinking in her sweetness, as though he could soak her into his system if only he tried hard enough. She resisted very briefly, then sank into him with a moan that sizzled his nerve endings. He wanted to be inside her. Now.

  Apparently she had a similar thought, because her hands began tugging at his suit jacket insistently. He unwrapped his arms from around her, but refused to break the kiss as he shrugged it off. Within seconds his shirt was open, those hands raking their fingernails down his chest. With a little growl, he pushed her back against the wall and began kissing his way down her neck.

  “Braum,” Jade panted, “what’s happening here?”

  “I’m devouring you.” He sank his teeth into her neck. “Is that a problem?”

  “I thought… we were going to dinner…” she moaned when his thumbs found her nipples, flicking back and forth.

  “Fuck dinner. We’ll order pizza.”

  They dragged each other to the floor, Braum losing most of his clothes along the way. By the time she’d finally managed to wrestle him beneath her, he was clad only in boxers and a single sock.

  “You’re killing me,” he gasped as she rubbed herself against his cock. He could feel how wet she was even though the silk of his boxers.

  “Serves you right, making me wait this long.” She moaned when he latched his teeth onto her left nipple, suckling hard. “Oh God.” She rubbed herself more insistently. “Oh God, yes please, don’t stop…” her cries became more incoherent as he clamped one hand against her ass, grinding her more firmly against his cock. Her wet heat, the moans of pleasure, the taste of her hard nipple in his mouth, all of it was nearly enough to make him come right then and there. But he wanted to be inside her when it happened, so he let her ride him until she shuddered in orgasm, breathlessly crying out.

  When she was done, he flipped her onto her back, then tossed her legs over his shoulders. “My turn,” he said, pushing his boxers down to his knees, and then he was inside her, plunging into her tight, wet heat.

  “Fuck,” he hissed between gritted teeth, his fingers digging into the floor so hard, he wondered if there would be gouge marks. “You feel better than I ever imagined.”

  He rocked his hips against hers, trying to set a steady pace, but it quickly turned into a frenzy of movement as he pounded himself home. Jade didn’t complain; on the contrary she clawed at him, begging him to keep going, threatening him with bodily harm if he dared stop. He pushed them both to the edge, and she went over screaming his name. It didn’t take long before he finally came, and it was one of the most intense climaxes he had ever experienced.

  Afterward, he rolled onto his back, and they lay on the hardwood floor, their rapid breathing the only sound throughout the house.

  “So,” Jade said after a moment. “Pizza?”

  They ordered in, and not too long after were enjoying slices of pepperoni pizza at the kitchen table. Much to his dismay, Jade had fetched her robe, so Braum decided to shimmy back into his boxers.

  Jade watched with amusement as he wolfed down six slices of pizza in as many minutes. “You always did eat like a wild beast,” she teased.

  She didn’t know the half of it. Shifters burned an insane amount of calories even when they weren’t active simply because they had such dense muscle mass. “Gotta keep up my strength. We’ve still got the rest of the night to go.”

  Jade arched a brow. “I don’t remember inviting you to stay.”

  Braum reached under the table and slid his foot slowly up the inside of her leg. Instantly, her pupils dilated and her breathing picked up. “I’m sure I can wrangle an invitation out of you.”

  “How do you do that?” She captured his foot and propped it up on her knee before he could go any further.

  Braum chuckled. “Chemistry. And you and I definitely have it.” He stood up and came around the table, stopping behind her chair so he could settle his hands on her shoulders. “It’s a two-way flow,” he murmured in her ear as he kneaded her shoulders. “Don’t you know what you do to me, with those sexy green eyes of yours and that luscious body? I’m going to spend all night wringing every single drop of pleasure I can from you. You’ll say my name so many times you’ll forget yours.”

  “You’re a cocky bastard,” she said breathlessly, tilting her head back for a kiss as his hand trailed downward.

  “Yes, but I’m worth it.”

  * * *

  “I’ve found his weakness,” the man murmured into the phone as he watched the shifter and his woman from the rooftop. “A human woman.”

  “Really?” His master laughed. “What a complete and utter fool. He should know better than that.”

  “Do you want me move forward?”

  “No. He’s too strong. Wait until the woman is alone, or at the very least away from him.”

  The man swallowed back a retort—he’d taken on shifters before, and won. But he was a soldier at heart, and he followed orders. “Yes sir. I’ll keep watch.”

  “Take the night off,” his master suggested. “Just be back by seven a.m. sharp.”

  “Are you sure?”

  His master chuckled. “Yes. Braum will not be leaving that woman’s house tonight.” His voice darkened. “But if you don’t have that woman delivered to me, alive, by nightfall tomorrow, I will personally make sure that you regret it.”

  There was a click, followed by a dial tone, and the man stared at his phone for a moment before flipping it closed and shoving it into his
pocket. He would do the job. After all, it was what he did best.

  * * *

  When Jade woke at 6 am sharp, Braum was already gone. She tried her best to swallow back her disappointment as she struggled out of bed and into the shower. After all, it wasn’t as if they were a couple. They’d simply had a wonderful, long, uninterrupted night of mind-blowing sex. No big deal. Right?

  Please, girl. You know you were having happily ever after visions in your head when it finally hit the pillow last night.

  Sighing, Jade leaned her head against the wet tile of the shower and closed her eyes. It was true. And maybe she was getting ahead of herself by allowing her imagination to run wild like that. But really, was it too much to ask for a little more courtesy? He could have left a note, at least. What kind of guy leaves in the middle of the night like that, unless he’s sending a message that he’s done with her?

  Maybe he is. Maybe to him, this was just a one-time deal.

  She certainly wouldn’t put it past him. After all, he’d made a career out of keeping the distance between them since their freshman year in high school. The first time she’d seen him standing in front of his locker and struggling with the combination, something had drawn her to him. They’d shared homeroom and several other classes together, and somehow always ended up seated next to each other. And to her delight, they’d hit it off instantly. He’d been charming and attentive, and she’d felt instantly comfortable with him. Not to mention the other girls had been insanely jealous of her for attracting one of the most eligible boys in the school to her.

  But one afternoon, when they’d been hanging out in the park after school, he’d come perilously close to kissing her. She remembered the day clearly—they’d been sitting under a tree, engaged in a light-hearted debate about Plato, and all of a sudden it had turned into a giggling, rolling-in-the-grass tickling match.

  The sunlight had been shining down through the leaves as he’d rolled her onto her back. His face had been inches from hers, his breath softly fanning her face, and her own breathing had hitched. Her heart had pounded wildly as they’d stared at one another, the tension between them palpable. His gold-flecked brown eyes had flashed, then darkened, his hard, muscular body pressing her into the dirt and no doubt ruining her jeans. She’d seen it happen in so many movies just like this, and she’d been so sure he was going to kiss her.

  Instead, he’d rolled away and helped her to her feet, then pretended as though it had never happened. She’d figured maybe he just hadn’t been ready, but after that day he’d grown more distant, becoming scrupulously polite. It had hurt unbelievably, the way he’d erected a wall between them so quickly just when she thought they were actually getting somewhere. But she’d refused to mope around about it; her mother had told her never to let herself get hung up about a man. She’d held her head high and two weeks later had another popular heartthrob on her arm.

  Yet here she was, nearly a decade later, hung up on Braum.

  “I should have never let him into my bed,” she snarled as she towel-dried her hair vigorously. When she looked up into the mirror, her mane of curls sprang wildly around her head like a lion’s mane, her eyes sparking with fury and pain. How could she let him do this to her?

  But then, how could she have helped it? Her mind spun as she rushed through her morning rituals and drove down to her office. The bastard had walked into her house like he’d owned it and liquefied her bones with a single look. He hadn’t asked, hadn’t even bothered to seduce. But then, it had been as if he’d known exactly what she wanted, needed, craved, and he’d done an excellent job delivering. Those orgasms had been mind-bending.

  Two meetings later (and several hours of wading through paperwork with her assistant) she was off to the courthouse again for yet another meeting. The work hadn’t improved her mood much, but she did get a lot done, which was a sign of how pissed-off she was. The more revved she got; the more intensely she tended to tackle her work. She’d probably scared her assistant half to death with the way she’d whirled through the office today.

  Grumbling under her breath, she hunted for a parking spot, but to her dismay couldn’t find anything close. She ended up parking three blocks away, which only soured her mood further because she’d chosen stiletto heels for today instead of the sensible pumps sitting on her closet rack. Taking a deep breath and a last swig of coffee from her mug, she forced herself to calm down as she trotted up the steps to the courthouse. If she walked into that courtroom looking even a tiny bit frazzled, the defense would tear her apart.

  When she walked out several hours later, her stride was more confident, and there was a smile on her face—a grim one, but a smile nonetheless. She had the defense on the run, and there was no doubt in her mind that the jury would rip him to shreds by the time this trial was finished.

  Checking her watch, she decided to stop for food along the way back to her office. Normally she would have gone home by now, but there were a few things that still needed taking care of. They could have waited until tomorrow, but she had the time now, so why not?

  Plus, if she kept herself busy with work she wouldn’t have time to think of Braum.

  “Miss Martin!” A man in a leather jacket, t-shirt and jeans hurried up to her. His blonde hair was windswept back from a strong face with sharp eyes that were fixated on her with an unsettling intensity. “Just the woman I’ve been looking for.”

  “What on earth—”

  “Please, come with me.” He hooked her arm through his. “I have something important to discuss with you.”

  “I’m not going anywhere—” she stopped at the icy feel of a metal gun barrel pressing against her rib.

  “Just keep walking,” he advised, “if you don’t want your blood staining the sidewalk.

  Jade mightily resisted the urge to scream for help, not knowing what would happen if she did. Even if he didn’t decide to shoot her, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t shoot someone else. Her mind whirled as she tried to figure out what was going on. Who was this man? What did he want with her? What had she done to attract this kind of attention? Had she pissed off a client, or someone she’d gone head-to-head with in the courtroom before? It wasn’t as if she’d never gotten threatening letters or emails before… but she never thought she was in enough danger to end up in this position.

  Panic began to well up in her throat when he steered her into an alleyway. The sun had just disappeared over the horizon, and not a lot of people were walking these streets right now. Hyperventilating, she began to struggle. “Who are you? What do you want? Let me g—”

  The man clamped a hand across her face, and holstered his gun so that he could reach into his pocket. “Quiet, woman. This isn’t personal… but it is necessary, and you don’t have a choice in the matter.”

  “Is this her?” Another man stepped out from the shadows of the alley, dressed in jeans and a collared shirt. He was beefier than the man who’d taken her, and a lot more rough looking, with a shaven head and a scruffy face. A scar slashed over his left eye, giving him a frightening appearance.

  “Sure is. You’ve got the car?”

  The second man jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Just on the other side. Let’s wrap her up and go.” He tossed a black bag and a length of rope over, and Jade began struggling all over again. She couldn’t let them take her away. She just couldn’t.

  “If that bag touches her face, I’ll rip yours off,” a familiar voice growled, and Jade whipped her head around to see Braum standing there, his expression cold as the wind that was starting to pick up. Relief flooded through her, especially when she saw the pistols in his hands, one trained on each of her kidnappers. “After I blow holes through your skulls, that is.”

  To her surprise, the men laughed. “Your bullets can’t kill us, Jackson. And it’s two against one.”

  Braum showed his teeth. “I don’t need the numbers to be on my side.”

  What came next happened so fast that Jade never quite figured ou
t the order of events afterward. One moment the three men were standing there, and the next they were springing for each other in a whirlwind of… claws and fur? Snarls and howls filled the alleyway, and Jade gaped as she realized all three of them had turned into wolves. The one closest to her was black, with a splotch of white on his tail and golden eyes that glowed eerily. The other two were white and grey, with icy blue eyes. All three of them were ferocious and scary, and Jade backed up against the wall, terrified of what would happen if she got too close.

  Am I hallucinating? She wondered in a panic. If I close my eyes, will it all go away? She squeezed them shut, just in case, but when she opened them they were still tussling. Braum seemed to be holding his own, but there was blood on his muzzle, and she didn’t know if it was his or one of the other wolves. And regardless of what he said, he was still outnumbered. She needed to do something. But what help could she possibly be?

  Frantically, she looked around for something, anything. Her eyes alighted on two pistols on the ground—the ones Braum had been holding. Before she could talk herself out of it, she darted over and snatched one up, then took aim… or tried.

  “Goddammit,” she cursed under her breath, trying to get a clear shot. It had been a long time since she’d last held a gun, and they were moving so fast it was hard to get a lock on one of them. “You bastards, stop!”

  That got their attention. One of them looked up, and she squeezed off a shot, aiming for the head. It caught him in the side of the neck, and the wolf collapsed, then changed back into a human. It was the blonde who had bullied her into the alley. He didn’t look so threatening, with his eyes closed and his face covered in blood. The other wolf shifted back into a human and tossed his friend over his shoulder. His ear was bloody and there were scratches on his arms, but he didn’t seem to notice, passing an evil look over both of them.

  “I’ll be back, Jackson. You can guarantee it.”