Page 5 of Bedded and Bred

“N-no,” she stutters, stepping behind me. I roll my eyes. As if little me is going to stop the behemoth standing in front of us and glaring at her like he is Zeus and he’s about to start throwing thunderbolts.

He smiles all of a sudden and it’s like the sun coming out on a cloudy day, bathing both of us in its glow. “Then I’m pleased to meet any friend of Beth’s. I’m sure we’ll get to know each other more later but right now…I need to talk to Beth. Alone,” he says when we both just stand there blinking at him like deer frozen by a hunter.

She finally catches on and grins. “Sorry. I still don’t know your name, mister…?”

“Reed. Cannon Reed. Jesse is my nephew and currently the biggest pain in my ass.”

Her lips thin and she glares at him, eyeing him up and down and I groan, sure I’m not gonna like what she says next. “I hope you’re nothing like your nephew cause he’s a pain in the ass. Nobody likes him around here.”

He nods his head coolly and I groan internally again. I think she just insulted him and he doesn’t look too pleased about it. “I’m here to make sure that he moves along and learns to take no for an answer before it gets him into some serious trouble.”

She scoffs. “You don’t think stalking and breaking and entering are big enough trouble?”

His attention shifts to me and I dance a bit on my toes, unnerved at the focus in his icy-blue gaze. His dark blond hair is tipped with silver at his temples and along his ears and it’s so fucking sexy that my fingers are tingling, thinking about tracing along his jawline and plowing into the hair that looks so damn soft and tempting. Unlike Jesse, this guy screams sex appeal and danger all wrapped up in a package that probably has women throwing their panties at him, begging him to fuck them.

I’m way out of my depths here. I haven’t even gone further than a kiss with any man and that’s damn tame when you look at this guy. He huffs when I don’t say anything and his tongue traces his fuller lower lip. My eyes track that movement and I feel a tug in my lower belly that startles me. I’ve never wanted any man before this one and this guy…I think my ovaries would implode if he touched me.

He holds out his hand and I shiver, wanting to touch him more than anything on this planet but self-preservation makes me stick my hand behind my back like a child.

“That’s okay. We’ll get there, strawberry.”

I jerk up, staring at him like he’s nuts. Maybe I am.Shit!“Why did you call me that?”

He grins and I swear to God my panties almost burst into flames. I shuffle on my feet again, unconsciously pressing my thighs together. “Because strawberries are my favorite fruit. Soft and rosy and sweet-tart. Just like you.”

My mouth drops open and then Heather’s giggle makes me shift to her, glaring.

She closes her mouth right away and mutters, “I think I’m just gonna…”. She’s out the door before she even finishes the sentence, shooting me a telling look with her brows raised.

“Your friend’s….interesting.”

I sigh. “You can say it. She’s annoying.”

He laughs and stalks up to me, holding his hand out again. “I feel like I should introduce myself again. I’m Cannon Reed and you are?”

“Beth Lange,” I sigh and finally reach my hand out to touch his. Fire shoots up my arm and an electric shock jolts my system, shocking the hell out of me. I jump back and stare at my hand, shaking it out. “I think you already knew that though.”

He grins, eyeing my face sharply. “You can’t shake me as easy as that, strawberry.”

“I’m not trying to shake you. I think there’s static in the air. I’m not sure why you said that though…I thought you were just here for your nephew.”

His smile turns evil and a tiny frisson of unease runs down my spine. “I can multitask, baby girl. As a matter of fact, it’s one of my many talents.” His eyes run up and down my body and a shiver runs down my limbs. I don’t know how to describe the look but it’s terrifying and thrilling all at the same time.

I have a feeling that’s gonna be a common feeling with this man. I’m not sure if I like it or not. But I don’t think he’s gonna disappear so I guess I better get used to it.

Or run. And something tells me there’s nowhere to run that he won’t find me.

CHAPTER 4

Cannon

She’s a little pocket goddess. Tiny, adorably cute and all mine. She just doesn’t know it yet.

But I’ve got to be careful and most people would say I’m pushing too far already. I don’t think I’ve pushed far enough. She might think that my nephew is a little crazy and obsessed. I hate to tell my little baby girl…but I’m way worse.

I’ve got it bad for this girl and luckily, my stupid nephew brought her right to me.

I can thank him for that but at the same time, I know that I’m gonna kick his ass for scaring her. She should never have had to deal with his kind of crazy. My kind? Well, it’s not terrifying…exactly. And all I want is to take care of her, protect her and keep her safe. While owning her body and soul.

---