To Love a Shifter: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set (16 page)

            With just a few minutes left before her lunch break ended, Misty was only a third of the way through with her meal when a large shadow suddenly blocked her line of sight. She glanced up and spit out a forkful of mac and cheese when she realized who it was.

            Just like that, Domenico’s irritation with her vanished. It was impossible to stay angry with her when she was just so – her.

            He slowly dusted away the bits of mac and cheese that managed to reach his shirt. The people around them were unsuccessfully trying to smother their laughter.

            Misty wanted to die of embarrassment. Had she just spit food on Domenico’s expensive clothing? “I’m sorry--”

            “It’s my fault,” he said graciously as he dragged the executive seat from another desk and placed it next to hers. He could have sat on any of the plain armchairs across her desk, but Domenico being Domenico, he’d rather not settle for anything less than the best unless it was entirely necessary.

            The fact that she was starting to understand how his mind worked made Misty smile. It also made her hope that things were going to be better now.

            “Are you still angry?” she blurted out.

He stared at her for a moment, just to make her squirm. And squirm she did. Then he leaned close and kissed her on the forehead. “What do you think?” he asked when he pulled away.

All Misty could do was smile at him, utterly besotted.

            Unbelievably cute
, he thought again.

            “I’d like to share lunch with you here if you don’t mind,” he told her.

            She blushed. “Of course I don’t mind.”

            When she offered him her fork, he shook his head and said with a gleam in his eyes, “Feed me.”

            She choked again, but thankfully, it was only water this time.

            He slowly brushed away the droplets of water that landed on his sleeve.

            Misty’s face was fiery red. Dear heavens, would her embarrassment never cease? She was willing to bet she was the most socially inept woman Domenico had ever dated. “You can break up with me now. Really. And I won’t blame you. At all.”

            That was too much. He let out a short bark of laughter, amusement overcoming him. Looking at her, Domenico knew she meant every word. No other woman he had dated would have reacted the same way. Well, actually, none of them would even dare choke or spit on him in the first place. But that was what made her unique.

            A powerful surge of possessiveness filled his entire being. More and more, Domenico was convinced that letting go of a treasure like Misty would be the most foolish mistake he could make in his life. So she was not the most obedient woman in the world. He supposed he could live with that.

            “Misty?”

            She held her breath. “Domenico?”

            “Can you finally come home with me tonight?”

            Her jaw dropped and then her eyes brightened. A shy smile formed on her lips. “I thought you’d never ask me again.”

            His eyes dipped…and then dipped some more until they settled on her breasts, lingering there until her nipples protruded against her blouse. He said softly, “Impossible. I want you too much.”

            “Domenico,” she protested under her breath.

            He settled a hand on her knee and cherished the gasp that she made when he squeezed her knee before moving his hand slowly up.

            Although the desk completely hid the lower halves of their bodies from view, nobody really had to see anything to know exactly what Domenico was up to. The look on Misty’s face said it all.

            “Domenico.” It was all she could say since she was too busy trying not to have a heart attack. Domenico’s hand was splayed over her left thigh now, and it was all she could do not to move so he could touch her more intimately. She could feel everyone staring at them. Although it made her cringe, knowing that everyone in the office knew exactly what was going on, Misty was powerless to stop her body from reacting to his touch.

            Dressed impeccably in a gray suit and an emerald green tie that matched his eyes, Domenico looked mouthwateringly gorgeous, with his eyes gleaming wickedly as he slowly let his fingers walk further up her thigh.

            She squeezed her thighs shut instinctively, making him laugh.

            “I’m looking forward to tonight,” he said and pressed his thumb hard against her clit as he finished speaking.

            Misty bit back a whimper.

            “Think of me until it is time for me to take you to bed, hmm?” Domenico withdrew his fingers and pressed a kiss on her forehead before standing up.

            She watched him walk away, knowing he wouldn’t look back at her as he did. And he didn’t, because that was the man he was. She was surprised by something else. He turned around, walked to the center of the office, and stopped before Janice’s desk.

            Misty watched Janice’s smile vanish, her face whitening in fear as Domenico murmured something to her. Then he was gone.

Dear Diary,

 I suck at this. I don’t know what to do now that I’m about to sleep in a guy’s house. Do I buy new underwear? Would it be overkill if I did? What if I suck at third base and beyond?

 And dear Lord, I know this is a silly question, but will it really fit? I’ve seen how his pants look near to splitting apart when he’s aroused. I’m excited and terrified at the same time. I know this is shameless of me, but I’m glad that Domenico’s cock will be the first and the last I’ll see. I don’t think there’s going to be any room for comparison once I actually see it.

          Tidying her desk at exactly five o’clock in the afternoon, Misty hurried out of the office and managed to slip inside the elevator just before the doors closed. When she pressed the P button for Domenico’s penthouse office, someone tittered behind her.

            Misty absently looked back and that was when she realized everyone had been – again – staring at her. She also realized that everyone knew she was going up to Domenico. She immediately blushed even though she knew they had no way of guessing what she had been thinking. Or did they?

            Face turning red, she mumbled, “I have someone to do -- ”

            Everyone smirked, and she hastily corrected herself while mentally banging her head on the wall. “I mean, I have something to do!” What was wrong with her? It was one humiliating blooper after another.

            “We know,” Bea from 8/F said just before stepping out. “We so totally know and are envious because of it.”

            “Honestly, it’s nothing like that,” Misty said with an emphatic nod, but all she got were more knowing looks from the other passengers.

            “Who cares? There’s nothing wrong with indulging in a little kiss or two,” Jim from 12/F said suggestively.

            “It’s really not like that!” she protested, uncomfortable at how everyone seemed to assume she was about to have mind-blowing sex the moment she reached Domenico’s floor. Misty hurriedly added, “I mean, all of you know Mr. Moretti! He’s not the type to play where he works. He’s very, very serious. Have you ever seen him smile?”  She could see they were beginning to believe her. Domenico was known for his gorgeous but unsmiling face.

            “I did see him smile,” admitted Heidi, who was also from 12/F. “Just once.” Her eyes twinkled. “He was with you.”

            “Well -- it’s only because he always finds me amusing,” she said, only half-joking. “But really, Mr. Moretti is a model of propriety and I don’t think he’d be glad if any of us think of him that way.”

            “You mean us,” Jim retorted. “You’re his fiancée. He’ll never get mad at you.”

            “But I’m his employee too, and he’s entitled to everyone’s respect here.” She saw a chance to put a stop to all the teasing and eradicate her earlier blunder and seized it eagerly. “I’ve seen him mad just once and -- ” Misty pretended to shudder. “It was scary. So I really think all of us, including me, should, you know…stop with all the teasing. It’s just not professional.”

            Her words were sinking in, she could see. She almost grinned. Now they were remembering that Domenico Moretti was everyone’s boss – one who was respected by the entire business community. Definitely, he wouldn’t do anything like…like make out with his employee at the workplace – even if that employee happened to be engaged to him.

            Lorraine glanced at the ceiling-mounted CCTV dome camera nervously. “He wouldn’t fire us for teasing you a while ago, right?” Everyone tensed at the reminder that their activities were being monitored. Even Jim paled a bit.

            “Of course not,” Misty assured them quietly. Inside, however, she was jumping for joy.

She had done it! No more embarrassing teasing!

The elevator beeped as it reached 12/F, where the accounting office was located and where everyone except her was headed.

            She turned to the side so they could walk past her easily. “It’s just that talking about private things in the workplace is not professional. And you know how Mr. Moretti -- ” She saw their eyes widen as they stared at something behind her back.

            Oh, shick.

            She had a feeling it would be him.

            As everyone scurried out of the elevator, Misty slowly turned around and felt herself wilting at the sight of Domenico grinning at her.

Domenico, grinning.

            It was a heavenly sight, and her entire body quivered in response.

            Domenico stepped in, standing next to her as he pressed the Open button while the remaining employees of the accounting department filed out.

When the last one left, Domenico immediately released the button and backed Misty against the wall, covering her still-gaping mouth with his.

As the doors slid closed and just before her mind shut down, Misty heard Bea snicker, “He kisses like a pro, I’ll give her that. Maybe that’s what she means?”

            When they were alone, Domenico pulled away and burst into laughter.

            It took her a moment to get over the dazed feelings that always overwhelmed her after one of Domenico’s kisses. She stared at him, confused.

“Not so professional, huh?”

            She gasped. “H-how---”

            He pointed up.

            The CCTV! She groaned. “You heard everything?”

            “Let’s just say that the ‘someone’ you want to do is eager to get the, err, doing done.”

            “Someone please just kill me before I embarrass myself to death,” she muttered. Her face would stay fiery red until the day was over. She was finally resigned to that fact. What was wrong with her?

            Domenico could see that Misty was seriously miserable and he pulled her into his arms. “It’s okay.”

            She shook her head adamantly but said nothing.

            He grinned. “No, really, it’s okay. You know why?”

            Misty looked at him questioningly.

            “Sooner or later, you
will
be doing me--”

            Her hand slammed on top of his mouth before he could finish. “Never mind, I’d rather not know,” she mumbled, making him laugh.

            Later, she and Domenico were back inside his limo as Matteo drove them to his home. While Domenico spoke on his mobile phone about one deal or another, she used the time to send text messages to all her siblings. It was her first time to tell them a fib, and it made her uneasy.

            By the time they reached Domenico’s palatial home, Misty’s anxiety had reached disastrous levels. The ever-present parade of guards just made her more nervous. If she messed up and disappointed Domenico in bed, would his battalion of bodyguards somehow know about it as well? Would they be close enough to hear Domenico sigh in disappointment when she failed to arouse him --

            “Misty.”

            “Yep?” she strangled out.

            Domenico held her nape, tilted her head up, and kissed her - long, hard, and deep enough to drive all the worries that he could scent from her away. As she moved close to him, he brought his hands down to curve around her buttocks, squeezing them before using them to propel her forward so that she could feel his arousal.

            “See how hard I am for you, darling?” he said against her lips. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

            When he stepped back, his desire was magnified at the soft, passion-glazed look in Misty’s eyes. Dammit, the wedding had to be in a week. He wouldn’t last any longer than that.

Curving an arm around her waist, he said quietly, “Let me take care of things. You don’t have to be in charge now. I’m here and you have someone to take care of you. Get used to it.”

            Misty bit her lip but nodded, realizing that what he said was true. As the eldest of the brood, she had grown used to depending on herself and not sharing her worries with her siblings. As they slowly walked past the guards, Misty colored when she saw their eyes twinkling on their otherwise expressionless faces.

            “For a guy who doesn’t like to smile, you sure care too little about PDA.”

            Privately, he thought the same, but he knew it wouldn’t do to let Misty know how much she was causing him to change. There was no point giving anyone – not even Misty – such power over him.

            He explained blandly, “It’s the Lyccan in me. Passion is a natural and integral part of us. It’s something we don’t bother – and never want to – hide.” It was and wasn’t the truth.

            She pondered his words as they crossed the foyer. That probably explained why Domenico was so frank and aggressive. Dishonesty was no doubt considered not something evil, but simply something…unnecessary by his kind.

            “Are you hungry?”

            “Just a bit,” she admitted.

            He led her to the living room, easily the size of a small-town theater. A black-and-silver chandelier dominated the room. Since the leather couches and blinds were also black like those used in his penthouse office, Misty didn’t have a hard time guessing Domenico’s favorite color. It made her smile. It was yet another sign of how possessive he was, being a Lyccan – so much so that he had to mark his territory with his colors.

            “Wait here and I’ll have the cook prepare us a light meal.”

            Misty nodded and sat gingerly on one of the armrests. The sheer size and splendor of the room didn’t really intimidate her, but Domenico’s complete indifference to it did. She couldn’t imagine being that blasé about this amount of wealth surrounding her.

            A sound made her turn to the doorway, which she presumed led to the kitchen. A large white wolfhound padded inside. It had beautiful hazel eyes and its white coat gleamed under the fluorescent light.

            “Hi,” she said hesitantly, not wanting to accidentally risk offending anyone if the wolfhound happened to be Lyccan as well.

            It barked.

            “I’m…Misty.”

            It took a semi-sitting position and stared at her expectantly.

            Should she say something else? “I work for Mr. Moretti.” She still couldn’t bring herself to say she was his fiancée. It was still too…surreal.

            From the doorway, remaining unobserved, Domenico watched in utter fascination as Misty continued with her one-sided conversation.

Finally, he cleared his throat.

            Misty looked up. Then she smiled tentatively at him. “I was just making small talk--”

            “With a dog,” he told her solemnly.

            “With a--” She turned to the wolfhound. “Not Lyccan?”

            It was very, very hard not to laugh but he managed. “Not Lyccan,” he affirmed.

            Misty slowly bent her head and covered her face.