ROMANCE: SHIFTER: Shifter to the Max Collection (Dragon, Bear, Wolf and Panther Shifter Romances) (Paranormal Fantasy Romance Collection) (11 page)

Blake paced the room again. The moon was bright tonight, soon it would be full. No matter. Blake was a master at self-control. Hadn't he proven that time and time again, assisting Jakob with his business ventures?

Mark walked into the room and snapped the light on just as Blake's plan was beginning to shape itself.

"Blake?" Mark asked. He'd come in for some of Jakob's scotch—he allowed them to it whenever they wanted—and found Blake standing in the dark, looking crazed. Mark thought the moon had gotten to him.

"What?" Blake snapped.

"Err..."

Blake liked Mark most of the time. He did as he was told. Blake wondered how deep his loyalty to Jakob ran.

"Doesn't it upset you?" Blake shouted from the window.

"What?"

"Jakob. Out with his Sabrina. Blowing the deal with Remy because of her."

Mark shrugged. "He found his mate." It was simple to him. He was happy for Jakob.

"Yes, but does that mean he gets to disregard us? Forget his pack?"

"Well," Mark said, suddenly uncomfortable. He didn't like where this was going. "The pack has plenty of money."

"
Jakob's
money," Blake corrected.

"I guess. But we all share it. We all have our own interests in the companies—"

Blake cut him off with a howl. "How can you defend him? He chose a woman over us, his brothers."

Mark hadn't really thought of it like that. It
was
sort of irritating.

Blake saw Mark's doubt and dialed down his outrage, he needed to sound calm and rational. "If he wants to be with Sabrina, that's fine. I don't want to stop him. But does he need to be alpha then? There are others amongst us with no mate who would be happy to fill his shoes. That way Jakob could concentrate on what's truly important to him now—his Sabrina."

Mark thought Blake had a point. If Jakob didn't want to lead anymore, someone else could.

Blake didn't want to push. The seed was planted now, he could see it in Mark's eyes. Mark would tell William, and William would tell Tony. The seed would spread.

"Did you come in for scotch?" Blake asked. Mark nodded. "I'll join you."

***

Sabrina ran down the sidewalk, raising her hand for a taxi she couldn't afford. The tears stung her eyes, and worse, her pride. She'd let herself believe there could be something real between her and Jakob, but there could never be anything more than an awkward pairing of social class.

"Sabrina, wait!" Jakob was running towards her. He moved so fast, it almost seemed like he was flying. "Tell me what I did," he said when he got to her.

She shook her head and turned away. He grabbed her shoulder—not too rough, just hard enough to spin her back around—and made her face him. She closed her eyes, afraid the sight of him would make her forget herself again. Sabrina did not date. She did not take lovers. She did not have money and did not care to know anyone who did.

Jakob's arms wrapped around her and she gasped. It felt like she was melting into him. The warmth of his body, the strength of his muscles, it was like nothing she'd ever felt.

Jakob felt her curves beneath his hands. He dropped them to her waist, and when she didn't protest, her hips. The flesh under her clothes filled his palms and his heart began to race. Her scent was all over him now. He drew it into him in long, deep breaths and held it, refusing to let it go.

"This won't work," she said through muffled tears. Her face was buried against his shoulder. "I don't like money."

He started to laugh, then thought better of it. It seemed preposterous to him, but she was serious.

"We shouldn't have come here," he said.

She nodded into his chest. She could hear people walking past them and hoped she and Jakob didn't draw too much attention.

"Let's just walk then," Jakob said.

She looked up at him. Her eyes were wet and he longed to kiss those full, ruby lips.

"Walk?"

He nodded and took her hand, pulling her along. She fell into step beside him. The moon was out and her hair glowed under it. He liked the way she wore it short. So different from the women of his past.

They walked to a park and went over a bridge where a creek ran beneath it. They didn't talk, just relished in the buzz of electricity that ran between them in the starlight. Sabrina was the one to break the silence.

"I like you," she admitted, though it pained her to do so. "But this can't work."

"Let me try again. Tomorrow."

She shook her head. "Your job... your money..."

"Is that all you see when you look at me? My money?"

She bit her lip. Jakob longed to bite it too.

"No," she said. She didn't know what was wrong with her. Normally she would never give a guy like this the time of day. There was no such thing as love, she knew that. Yet she couldn't stop thinking about Jakob even when he was a foot away from her.

"Tomorrow," he said again.

"Maybe if I plan things?" Sabrina piped up.

"
No
. I'll plan it." His voice was harder than he'd intended. "It will be perfect. I promise."

Sabrina wanted to argue, but she was too entranced with his eyes. They were glowing. She thought it was the moonlight at first, but they kept getting brighter and lighter. It was as if glistening silver flecks were floating inside them. Then it was gone.

Jakob took a deep breath and forced his eyes back to their normal blue. Now was not the time to tell her his secret. She looked so beautiful in the moonlight. Jakob couldn't resist. He leaned down and kissed her.

Sabrina's mouth opened instinctively. Jakob's lips were almost as hot as his hands, and she appreciated the appetite they had for her. A strange tingling began in her toes, nipping at them like static electricity. The tingling spread to her legs, increasing its strength.  Soon her whole chest was embraced by a heat and an energy not of this world. When the heat moved to her head, it stretched to Jakob like the tentacles of a jellyfish, and it was as if a lightning bolt struck Jakob and Sabrina where their mouths met.

She pulled away, gasping for breath. Jakob's hands shook. He hadn't known what to expect when they kissed, but this... this was beyond his imagination.

"Tomorrow," she said, letting her hand fall against his cheek. It buzzed against his skin. He nodded his head, prepared to do anything necessary to make Sabrina his.

Sunday came and went. Sabrina had completely forgotten that she'd promised to have dinner with her parents, and had to cancel her date with Jakob. He suggested going with her to her parents house, but there was no way she'd ever let that happen. She dreaded the time away from him. During the night, she'd dreamt of him again. Of their bodies touching, skin against skin. She still hadn't seen all his chest muscles. At times they seemed impossibly huge, like under his clothes lurked the body of the Hulk.

Sabrina and her parents were just sitting down to dinner when the bell rang and her parents introduced Walter. Walter was a bachelor stockbroker who had millions. Sabrina cringed.  "Nice to meet you," Walter said, taking Sabrina's hand. It felt cold, and she realized she missed the heat Jakob offered with his touch. She smiled and nodded, but said next to nothing all through dinner.

"Our anniversary is coming up soon," Sabrina's mother chimed in between mouthfuls of veal.

"Yes.
I know
," Sabrina clipped back.

"Will you be coming?" Sabrina's father asked. She smiled at her father, feeling slightly warmer towards him than her mother. He'd been ill lately, and despite Sabrina's dislike of their lifestyle, he was still her father.

"Yes," Sabrina sighed. There was no way around it.

"Wonderful!" Her mother clapped her hands together. "You can go with Walter."

Sabrina shot Walter a look. He was beaming stupidly at her.

"No!" Sabrina yelled. Walter's brow furrowed. Her mother scowled, it made her look like an octopus. "I mean," Sabrina gulped. She didn't want to go with anyone, let alone the idiot sitting across from her. "I already have a date."

Sabrina's mother raised her eyebrows, clearly she did not believe her. "Who?" she demanded.

"Jakob Moore." Sabrina regretted it as soon as she said it. Everyone around the table laughed.

"What?" Sabrina said, feeling the heat rise in her chest. "Don't you believe I could get a date?"

"Of course," Sabrina's mother said, "but Jakob Moore?"

"What?" Sabrina asked, feeling like the butt of a joke. "Who is Jakob Moore?" That was a great question. One Sabrina hoped to answer on their date tomorrow.

"Only one of the richest men in the world," her mother said, looking at Sabrina with pity.

Walter handed Sabrina his cellphone. A picture of Jakob blazed across a website, the caption above it read: TOP TEN RICHEST BACHELORS. Number one was Jakob Moore. She quickly scanned the article and learned that Jakob was not only one of the riches bachelors in the world, but also one of the top ten richest men period. It showed a picture of Jakob with a very stern, almost scary looking man standing next to him. She wondered if that was one of his brothers.

"It's a different Jakob Moore," Sabrina said, handing the phone back to Walter.

***

Monday at work was rough. Sabrina couldn't believe her dumb, stupid luck. Of all the guys to fall for, why did it have to be one of the richest men in the world?

It's just a crush. It will pass.
But she wasn't sure she believed her inner voice this time.

She spent the day at work trying to listen to her clients, but gave up halfway through the day. They were all rehashing the same stuff anyways. He cheated. She cheated. They cheated. It was a great big circle.

At the end of the day Sabrina rushed home, eager for the promise of a perfect date with Jakob. She hoped it was a picnic in the park where he'd first kissed her the other night. Or maybe watching old movies at his house and eating popcorn from the same bowl, so their fingers could touch every time they went for more.

When Jakob finally knocked on her door, she was dressed in dark blue jeans and a green blouse that hung low on her chest and made her eyes sparkle.

Jakob's jaw dropped open when he saw her. "You look beautiful," he said, and handed her a large box with a giant bow wrapped around it.

"A present?" she asked, excited.

"Something for tonight." Jakob smiled, certain he'd gotten things right this time. "Open it."

Sabrina ripped the box open and her face fell. The dress inside was beautiful. Sequined, glittering like diamonds. The tag still on it said Christian Dior. Five thousand dollars.

"I thought we were keeping it casual tonight," Sabrina said.

"Yes. But we still need to eat. Would you rather we go to McDonald's?"

"No, but there's a wide range of places between McDonald's and Christian Dior!"

"You're upset." Jakob was stunned.

"Damn right I am. You just don't get it. I... this isn't me." She pushed the dress back towards Jakob. His eyes shimmered in the glow of the early evening.

"Well I don't know how I'm supposed to please you if you insist on acting like a crazy person. Most women would kill for a dress like this."

"I'm not most women." They stood in Sabrina's hallway, glaring at each other. "Why would you bring me this after the other night?" she demanded.

"I thought that you felt out of place the other night."

Sabrina turned her eyes to him. "I did."

"And that if you had a dress even better than what those other women, who weren't even half as beautiful as you, were wearing, you'd feel more comfortable. You deserve the very best. I don't know why you won't let me give it to you."

Sabrina couldn't stop her lips from turning up in a soft smile. Jakob didn't understand, but his intentions were very sweet in their way. She couldn't help but be flattered.

Jakob watched her face. Even when he was angry with her, she was still the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. He relented. "Why don't you tell me where would you like to go tonight?"

They sat on a bench, packed in like sardines, while the home team hit a baseball into the stands and the crowd roared. Sabrina stuffed a hot dog into her mouth while Jakob cringed as the man next to him sloshed beer on his Italian leather shoes.

"Would you try to relax?" Sabrina said.

Jakob sighed. There was no winning with this woman. He gave her Dior and she wanted hot dogs. He laughed to himself. Of all the women to mate with, why someone so different from himself?
Because she challenges you in a way no one else does.

His breath choked in his chest. My God, that was true. In his day to day life, he was surrounded mostly by yes men. Even his pack, who he relied on for everything, rarely contradicted him. Sabrina challenged him on everything. She completed a part of his life he hadn't, until now, realized he was missing.

"I love you," he said.

"What?" she screamed against the sudden roar of the crowd.

"I LOVE YOU!"

Sabrina's jaw dropped. Love? That couldn't be true. They'd just met. They were wrong for each other in every way. The guys behind them snickered. An older woman to Sabrina's right shoved her hard. Sabrina looked at her.

"What are ya? Stupid or something? Go on and kiss him honey," the woman said.

Sabrina laughed, she couldn't help it. This whole thing with Jakob made no sense, but she thought, no she knew, that she loved him too. She leaned towards Jakob and did as the woman suggested.

When her lips landed on his, the world felt right, and the passion that burned in her could not be quenched. Not now, not in a thousand years. She wrapped her arms around him and somewhere a flash went off.

***

The game turned out to be fun. Sabrina loved baseball, and Jakob, once he relaxed, enjoyed himself too. Sabrina was right. Not everything they did had to cost a lot of money. He smiled at her across the table in the late night restaurant she'd insisted upon, picked up his beer, and threw another peanut shell on the floor.

"Where'd you ever find this place?" he asked.

She laughed. "It's a very popular restaurant. You know, for us low class folks."

Jakob scowled. "There is nothing low class about you Sabrina."

He was always so intense, Sabrina found her cheeks flushing and wasn't even quite sure why. "I love you," he said again. She didn't doubt him.

She smiled, certain but still tentative. "I... I love you too."

He leaned across the table and kissed her. The electric surge between them felt like a physical hammering in Sabrina's chest. He took her hand in his and held it tight. His hands, so large, swallowed hers up. "Marry me."

Sabrina almost spit out her beer. "What?"

"You heard me," he said. His eyes were incandescent in the low light of the restaurant. Peanuts crunched under feet as people moved around. Sabrina stared at Jakob, searching his face to see if he was joking. His skin began to glow like a firefly. His eyes burned. She looked around to see if anyone else had noticed.

"Jakob... you're glowing."

His eyes immediately darkened. It was like he'd flicked off some internal light switch. "Sometimes I have a hard time controlling myself around you," he said.

"What's going on?" she asked. "That wasn't just a trick of the light. You really were glowing."

He smiled a crooked smile and cocked his head. "You're right." Sabrina waited, but he just kept smiling. "You haven't answered my question," he said.

"You haven't answered mine," she replied. Sabrina felt her nerves jump. Jakob wasn't going to let this go. But marry him? She couldn't... could she?

"I... don't know. I need to think." It sounded kinda lame but she didn't have anything better.

"What is there to think about? You're my mate. Don't you feel it?"

Her pulse throbbed in her chest. "Yes."

"Then what is it?"

"I just... A thousand things," she spit out, exasperated. "I don't believe in marriage. There's no such thing as happily ever after. We only just met. How can you be so certain?"

His eyes were hypnotizing and Sabrina wondered if they would start to glow again. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Won't you tell me what's going on with you?"

"Yes. But not here."

Jakob paid their bill and they took a cab to the park where they'd first kissed. The night had started off all wrong, but had ended so right. They were back at the very place Sabrina loved most, because it would forever remind her of Jakob.

They paused on the bridge where they'd kissed. "I'm going to show you something," Jakob said. "Don't be scared.

The moon was almost full and it shown so brightly against Jakob's skin, he almost seemed effervescent. Jakob began undressing. Sabrina's eyes bulged and she turned her head. "What are you doing?"

"It's necessary," Jakob said. She refused to look, but couldn't resist a peek or two. His muscles, already impossibly huge, were even bigger once his shirt was off. Her eyes trailed over his body, down... down... until they stopped at the mass he kept hidden in his pants. It was just as large as the rest of him. She blushed and averted her eyes, but then caught that strange glow coming off him again. As she watched, his eyes changed color. Their normal blue turned lighter and lighter, almost white. His face began to shimmer, and his fingers and toes began to grow.

Sabrina's jaw dropped open. She started to scream, but then his eyes caught hers and held her. They were different, yet the same. The gentleness... the love he felt for her, it was still there. This was still her Jakob. Hair sprouted all over his body, and Jakob dropped to the ground. She reached out a hand, uncertain if he was in pain. Then, almost too fast to see what had happened, Jakob turned into a wolf.