AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh,” Maggie fanned herself as she spoke softly. “Heis.”
Gracie turned to gaze in the direction that Maggie was looking, and she opened her mouth in awe when she saw the guy Maggie was staring at. A tall, large man in an open flannel shirt that revealed a tight T-shirt over substantial pecs strode their way. His hair was so blond it didn’t look natural, but his pale eyebrows told her it was real. And those eyes… pools of blue that made her think of glaciers. Gracie inhaled sharply, which may have caught the guy’s attention, because he trained his gaze on her and flashed a smile that warmed her heart. She nearly swooned. “Wow,” she said.
Henry was next to her and chuckled.
“Oh my god.” Gracie covered her face with her hands as if she could hide from the man, and she whispered to Henry, “Did I just say that out loud?”
“You did,” he whispered back.
Gracie heard Fiona introduce herself and her friends, and she imagined the new guy had found what he was really looking for.
“Gracie,” Henry whispered, “he liked it.”
“He did not.”
Henry touched her arm. “Open your eyes.”
The hot blond didn’t have the pretty girls draped on his arms the way she’d expected. Instead, he was close enough to her that he held out his hand to shake. “I’m Leo.”
Gracie felt her mouth open, close, and then open again as if she was a fish gasping for air. She knew how stupid she looked, and the laughter from the pretty girls confirmed it, but she felt as if she were helplessly watching herself about to be hit by a train instead of actually being in control of her actions. She managed to lift her arm, and Leo grabbed her hand to clasp it between his.
Gracie inhaled a shaky breath, sure she was going to faint. Not only were his hands the kind of comforting warmth you feel when you take towels out of the dryer, but it was as if he was sending an electric shock through her body to make parts of her that she usually tried to ignore hum. His eyes were working some kind of spell on her too, because now that he was up close, she realized she’d never seen blue eyes that felt so intense. She was lost in them as she wondered if he was wearing colored contacts.
He leaned down to whisper to her. “This is the part where you tell me your name.”
“Oh!” Gracie gulped with the hope her voice would sound confident. “I’m Gracie. Grace Marie Templeton, actually.”
That received a few snickers, but the pretty girls were the least of Gracie’s concern. She was struggling to stand upright as her knees threatened to give out.
He said, “Beautiful name.”
“Th-thanks.”
She was grateful when Tracy stepped in to save her from combusting on the spot. “You must be my Cupid, Leo,” the woman said. “Goodness, I’m not sure if the costume is going to fit you.” Tracy held the costume up to him. “I saved the largest one for you, but… hmm.” It was noticeably too small for the guy who had to be close to seven feet tall. “You know what?” she said. “I’ll get Peggy in accounting to work her magic on this.” She glanced at Gracie and smiled. “Because I can’t think of a better employee to be Cupid.”
CHAPTER3
Leo
Shyness was nota trait Leo possessed, and apparently neither was tact, because the moment he saw Gracie he was smitten. As he held her hand in his, he fought the urge to pull her into his arms. He realized he was being brazen about his true-mate attraction to her, and he knew he shouldn’t touch her so soon to send a current of their attraction racing through her veins. But he hadn’t been able to resist the siren call of his true mate. A cry she had no idea she was sending out.
He stepped away from Gracie when his new boss said, “You must be my Cupid, Leo.” She commented on how the costume he was supposed to wear would need to be altered. And he chuckled when she looked at Gracie and said, “I can’t think of a better employee to be Cupid.”
No cupid would be necessary for Gracie and Leo to fall in love. True-mate attraction was something destiny chose, and Gracie had no idea the feelings she was experiencing were due to her ancestry. He knew she wasn’t aware that she was half werebear or that such shapeshifters even existed. A werebear male had impregnated her mother, and since the woman was human, the father’s clan didn’t allow the relationship to go on. The man had no choice but to leave Gracie to be raised by her mother, who, Leo had been told, had no idea Gracie’s father was a werebear. However, the guy wasn’t a total jerk, because Leo had also learned Gracie’s mother had received generous child support throughout the years.
Her mother, unfortunately, was another story. Leo suspected the reason Gracie was so shy had something to do with her mother’s bitterness over how her life had turned out. He wasn’t worried, though. True-mate love could overcome anything.
Paper rustled as Tracy handed out contracts. “Read this very carefully,” she said. “We have strict rules about staying in character. Please sign the contract stating you understand what is expected of you.”
Leo only skimmed the document because he was more concerned about the fact Gracie was next to an attractive guy who was standing close to her. His bear’s fur ruffled with jealousy, but Leo’s logical side tried to get a read on their relationship. The man had only given off kind vibes when Leo had introduced himself to Gracie. And honestly, if there was anything going on with her companion, it would be over now. Leo knew Gracie’s feelings for the guy couldn’t match true-mate attraction. He had been warned to tread carefully when Richard and Donna came to him with their matchmaking plan.
The three girls who’d fawned over him when he arrived had moved to be close to him again, and one put her hand on his arm and said, “Leo, once we’re done here, I’d be happy to show you around.”
Leo was still watching Gracie, and when she looked his way, he saw a pained expression he thought might be dismay. He winked at her, and he fell in love a little more when Gracie’s cheeks turned pink before she averted her gaze to her contract as if she hadn’t heard the exchange.
Leo was tempted to request Gracie, but he’d embarrassed her enough and said to Fiona, “I have some paperwork to fill out before any official tour.”
Tracy said, “Yes.” She clutched the stack of contracts to her body and held out her free hand for his paper. “Thanks, everyone. I expect you all to be suited up and ready for the parade tomorrow night at six. Leo,” Tracy said, “come with me.”
