Guardian (Wolf Shifter Romance): Reckless Desires (Alpha Protectors Book 1) Read Free Page B

sharp. Even her spine was stiff. Like she’d had a steel rod rammed up her. Just the thought of her ass distracted me from being annoyed, and I grinned at her, my smile widening at her answering frown.
    Patting the space on the couch next to me, I unhooked my leg from my knee, spreading my thighs just to see what she did. She didn’t disappoint. Her gaze flickered out of control between the space behind my head and my crotch.
    Then she sat down on the only single chair in the room, crossing her legs and resting her hands delicately on one knee.
    I wanted to stride over there and push between those clamped-closed legs and spread her wide, and then I would devour her mouth until she yielded, panting and begging.
    But I didn’t. Instead I lifted a single eyebrow.
    Her frown deepened a fraction before smoothing out completely.
    What game was she playing?
    She cleared her throat, her eyes flicking to that space behind me. “I think we started out wrong,” she stated.
    I resisted the urge to look over my shoulder. “I think we started just fine.”
    She glared at me. “I’m interested in securing your…particular talents.”
    “I have many talents.”
    “I’m sure you have,” she replied smoothly. “I’m only interested in your professional repertoire.”
    I’d never heard it put quite like that before. “Go on.”
    “I have a stalker who is causing me a little difficulty.” She hesitated, then stopped, her lips sealing shut.
    Rage flared inside of me at the thought of her being harassed, of being scared. I leaned forward, game forgotten for now. “If you don’t tell me what the problem is, then I can’t help you.”
    “I’ve been getting death threats.” Her voice didn’t wobble or break, but the tone was all wrong. Flat. Devoid of emotion.
    “How long have you been getting these?” I was all business now, my mind focused on the task ahead: keeping this woman safe.
    “A while. I thought they were just the usual sort, at first—”
    “The usual sort of death threat?” Disbelief colored my tone.
    Her spine snapped even straighter as she tilted her nose a fraction. “I am a very successful model. Of course I get death threats.”
    “Of course,” I echoed, sarcasm biting into every word.
    She took a deep breath, then indicated one of the pile of papers on the table. “These are the ones we believe came from the same person. Whoever it is, they’ve escalated.”
    I resisted the urge to tug the pile toward me, wanting to hear everything from her first. “Escalated how?”
    “He mentioned things that he shouldn’t know, and is privy to information that should be private.”
    “You say he? ”
    “There’s no name, if that’s what you’re asking. But all of my stalkers are men…” She shrugged, before carrying on. “They think that because I’m Natasha Silk they are entitled to a part of me, that they can touch what they want, that because I look and act a certain way on camera, that I’m asking for it.” Her eyes flashed to mine and they were filled with fury. “I didn’t ask to be born looking like this. Hell, I don’t look like her most of the time. But men don’t see that. They recognize me, and they paint their own picture. I could have lettuce in my teeth and a rat’s nest for hair and they still wouldn’t see me. ” Her voice rose in a crescendo, her hands dancing in agitation.
    “Do you?”
    She sat back, pushing her glasses back up her nose. “Do I what?”
    “Have lettuce in your teeth? Because I can’t say I noticed any earlier. But then again, you don’t smile much, do you?”
    She froze, then her eyes narrowed. “What is there to smile about? You’re not a friend or family. Why should I smile at you? You’re just the hired help.”
    She was desperately trying to build that wall back up again, but I’d already seen the cracks. “Where is your family in all this? Are they supporting you?” I’d scanned her bio on the walk over, but there was no mention of a