Bared to Him Read Free

practically
bringing Gray to his knees with want for her, had alerted him she
would soon Change.
    Jack
nodded. Devastation was evident on the sixty-two year old man’s
wrinkled face. Perhaps her father had also noticed the subtle
changes in her recently. Her skin was glowing a vibrant, healthy
pink. She was hanging out on the ocean more often finding all kinds
of excuses to take motorboat rides across the waves. There was that
restlessness in her that made her want to go and deliver that yacht
on her own. The truth was that deep down inside her, an instinct
was telling her she needed to get away and find a mate.
    “ It’s another reason why I want you to accompany her, Gray.
You’ll keep the males away from her. You’ll keep her safe. I know I
can trust you.”
    Guilt shifted through Gray like sharp razor blades. He knew he
should tell Jack he wasn’t sure he could handle staying away from
Miranda. Her scent drove him wild. Lately, every time he saw her,
he wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her. He craved to
touch her in ways a guy in charge of her safety should not be
thinking about. And, at nights when he Turned in the depths of the
ocean, he swam alone in the darkness, needing her. Wanting her .
    Jack’s
slap to his back snapped Gray from his thoughts.
    “ She’ll be safe with you. You don’t know how good that makes me
feel.”
    Yeah , right .
    Gray forced himself to smile at his partner and then took a
sip of the scorching hot coffee. He grimaced as the fiery liquid
slid down his throat. Perfect. Just the way he liked it. But the
heat of the coffee did nothing to douse the chaos of his emotions.
Guilt ruled. How was he going to protect Miranda from himself?
    “ Have you unpacked from your other trip, yet?” Jack asked as he
handed Gray the new itinerary he’d mentioned.
    Gray
shook his head and pocketed the schedule. He’d look at it later and
then give it to Miranda.
    “ No, but I need a fresh set of clothes. I can pack in a few
short minutes. Then I just need to add a suit for the wedding. I
can order a rental over the Internet and have it waiting for me in
California.”
    Jack
nodded.
    “ Good. Good. Seriously, I am glad I hired you all those years
ago. I knew you would be the perfect man to protect her if she went
into the Change. Do you think she has an idea she won’t be the
human she’s always wanted to be?”
    She knows .
    But he
didn’t tell Jack that or the fact he’d been reacting to her. Jack
was human. He didn’t have to know everything about Octo males and
how badly they hungered for a female.
    “ I think you’d have to ask her that question,” Gray
said.
    Jack
frowned. He gazed out the eastern window of the business office and
rubbed a hand across his scrubby white beard. Gorgeous snow-capped
mountains loomed behind the handful of colorful buildings nestled
amongst the cliffs of this secluded hamlet. It was a beautiful
place here and it almost made Gray’s breath catch at how close he’d
come to never coming here in the first place.
    “ I’ve been her mother, her father, friend, and confidant since
her mother died. She’s always wanted to remain human, like
myself.”
    You mean you taught her to want to be human . But Gray kept the comment to himself. He’d never agreed with
the way Jack catered to Miranda’s sporadic comments of wanting to
remain a human. The chances were pretty much for sure that soon, at
every twilight, her legs and arms would shift into octopus form.
Her craving for sex in both her human form and her Octo shape would
become a dominant part of her life. Just as it was for
Gray.
    “ I’ll have a talk with her when you both return,” Jack replied
softly.
    Gray was
sure Jack’s talk would come too late. Again, he remained silent.
Jack would find out soon enough.
    “ In the meantime, I should let you know we got the job from
that business tycoon you were meeting with. He’s slapping down
three million for a sailing yacht and wants it ready for