AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Belle looked into the man’s eyes and recognition broke her face. This man was the beast she had fallen in love with.” Before she can finish the last of the story, little Mia giggles. “Miss Wren, have you ever fallen in love with a beast?” The question seems so innocent, but the look on my little bird’s face tells me another story. I jam my elbow into Mav’s side, causing him to grunt. Luckily it wasn’t loud enough to distract Wren from giving an answer I’m a bit eager to hear.
“Well, I did fall in love with a beast, but sadly, he wasn’t a prince. Just a monster.” Her voice sounds haunted, like she is remembering this man, and I don’t like that at all. But I’m also curious why no man has come up in Mav’s search into her life. When was she with this guy? Why does she call him a monster? Better question. Who the hell is he to make her seem afraid?
“What do you mean, he is a monster? Me and Michael can protect you, Miss Wren. We’re strong and will keep you safe,” Mason says, making me snort to myself. He even puffs out his little chest and beats it twice like he would go to war for this woman.Same little man, same.
Michael stands, doing the same. “Yeah, Miss Wren. We can protect you.” Wren laughs at this. The sound waves sending pure lust to my cock, making it harden even more to the point of pain. A laugh shouldn’t be capable of even making my dick twitch, but here I am tenting my dress pants like a damn teenage boy who can’t control myself. She opens her arms and the two little self-proclaimed warriors rush into her arms. Hugging her tight. I have never been so jealous of five-year-olds.
“Hey, I can protect Miss Wren too.” Mia calls out in a pout. “Of course, you can, Mia. Anything boys can do, girls can do better.” Is Wren’s reply, starting a whole other argument between the tiny humans about what boys and girls can and can’t do better.
Thirty more minutes of waiting until Mrs. Williams finally comes to collect her attention seeking children. Just in the nick of time, too, because I’m almost certain those two little boys think they have a chance with my little bird. Always holding her hand, hugging her, cuddling up next to her. If I wasn’t a grown ass man who knew they had no chance with her, I would be tempted to rip their little paws off my woman.
I hear Mav snort from beside me and I turn to face him. “What?” I practically growl, then take a deep breath to calm my nerves. He snorts again, and I glare at him. “Are you seriously jealous of two five-year-old little boys, Xander? You’re glaring at them like they stole your favorite action figure toy. Will you act your age?” I deflate a bit because he has a point.
I turn to focus on the exchange between little bird and Mrs. Williams, noticing how Mrs. Williams looks in our direction, her eyes widening as she takes us in. Fuck. She turns back to Wren and speaks, but I’m too far to hear what is being said. From the tilt of Wren’s head and the frown that appears on her face, I know I need to head over to interrupt. Otherwise, Mrs. Williams might find herself in a car accident for making my little bird frown like that.
As I approach, I hear a bit of what is being said between the two women. “Dear, you should have come to me. I can start paying you when you watch the kids for me. You know I have money and I don’t know what the kids would do if I didn’t help keep your shop open. They just adore you and talk about you all the time. Let me help you.” How dare this bitch! I will be helping Wren. She is mine to take care of.
I decide to skip the pleasantries and dive right in. Clearing my throat to let Wren know she has other company; I start with introductions. “Good afternoon, ladies. I’m Xander Ashford, and this is my associate, Maverick Alder.” I watch as Mrs. Williams’ face turns up into a pleasant fake smile, her eyes shift from me and Mav to Wren. Almost like she wants to take my Wren and hide her away from me. Won’t ever happen. Wren, on the other hand, looks shocked and almost afraid.
“We are here to meet with Miss Wren St. James.” She takes a small step back, her chest raising in quick breaths. I noticed earlier she was wearing the dress I left for her. I knew it would look good on her, but with each breath, the dress hugs her curves even more tightly, pulling my eyes right to her perfectly shaped breast.
I knew Amber helped her pick out clothes most days, and I hoped she would pick this one. It’s a beautiful rose-pink color that fits snug around her tiny body, showing off all her shapely assets. It’s also a silk texture that I’m sure feels just as soft as her smooth looking ivory skin. I frown when I realize that if I can see how amazing she looks in this outfit, so can everyone else. Taking a quick look around to make sure I won’t have to kill anyone right now, luckily the shop is quiet. I focus back in on my little bird who’s breathing has now turned rapid, almost like she is panicking. I want to wrap her in my arm so badly that I have to clench my fist to hold my ground and not move. Fuck, what is wrong with her? What is wrong with me?
“We are from A.A.L Banking, here to speak with you about a possible investment in your shop, Miss St. James.” Mav adds and I could almost kiss the man when Wren finally seems to calm a bit. Her shoulders drop before she takes a long inhale, letting it out slowly and chuckling to herself.
“I’m so sorry. Your voice reminded me of someone and it startled me.” She waves her hand in the air as if she is trying to wave away the fact that we scared her. But then I remembered that a month ago she witnessed a murder, so she heard our voices that night. I honestly thought she wouldn’t make a connection. We didn’t have a long conversation, but apparently, I left a bigger impact than I imagined. I smile at that thought.
Chapter twelve
Wren
I take a step back, heart pounding in my chest, making me feel like I’m in the middle of running a marathon. Shit. They came back to check in on me? To kill me? I need to get the kids and Mrs. Williams out of here.
“We are from A.A.L Banking, here to speak with you about a possible investment in your shop, Miss St. James.” The second man’s voice, Maverick, I think he called him, says and my whole body deflates. I take a deep breath in and then let it out. Finally relaxing my tense muscles a bit. These guys are from the bank, not the mafia dudes from that night. Of course, they aren’t those guys. It’s been over a month and no one has come to kill me or to make sure I haven’t told someone what I overheard that night. Why bother now? I’m blind. I didn’t actually see anything.
“I’m so sorry. Your voice reminded me of someone and it startled me.” Someone that I thought came to kill me, I think to myself. I try to smile, reassuring everyone that I didn’t have a minor panic attack in the middle of my shop like a weirdo, but I’m not sure if it really works.
I shake off the rest of my nerves. I need these guys to like me and my little shop. Once Amber is gone, I’m on my own. “Mrs. Williams, I’m sorry I can’t chat like usual, but I have a meeting with these two gentlemen. Will you be bringing the children over tomorrow?” I ask to confirm but already know the answer.
“Yes, sweetheart, if you don’t mind.” I giggle at that as three tiny humans wrap their little arms around me in a big group hug.
“Of course, she doesn’t mind, mama. We are her favorite customers. That’s why she always reads to us. Isn’t that right, Miss Wren?” Mason asks as I kneel to their level. I reach out, finding his small shoulders. I move my hands up to find his face, pulling him in to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Of course, you three are my favorite.” I tell them, but I jerk back a little when I think I hear a deep growl, but then Michael is grabbing my hands and placing them on his cheeks next. I lean in once again to kiss his little cheek as well. Snapping my head to the side, when I’m positive I hear a low growl come from one of the men to my right. My brows furrow as I try to figure out if what I was hearing was real. Maybe I’ve read too many shifter romance books.
A clearing of a throat catches my attention next, making me stand up, straightening my spine, as my friendly business façade settles into place.You got this Wren. You are totally a friendly, professional, and loveable person.With that mental pep talk done, I get ready to sell myself. Not my body, but my personality and my shop.
“I will see you three troublemakers tomorrow. Behave for your mama or she won’t bring you.” I warn them knowing they will listen. I’ve only had to ban them once, and that was enough because now they always make sure to be good. I hear three “yes, Miss Wren” and a feminine chuckle as Mrs. Williams and the children head for the door. I wait until I hear the front doorbell ring before I take a deep breath before turning to the two gentlemen waiting for me. I run my hands down my dress to smooth out any wrinkles I may have gotten from the kids all cuddling up with me. Maybe to also wipe the clammy feeling from my palms before I reach my hand forward in a more formal greeting..
“I’m sorry about that. I hope you fine gentlemen weren’t waiting too long. Those three come in just about every day for story time while their mom runs a few quick errands. As you can see, the Cozy Nook is a place for everyone. For the young and old alike to come and simply read or just to relax and escape their daily lives.” I pause when I realize no one has taken my hand for a shake. I almost facepalm myself when I also realize I just jumped right in and didn’t even officially introduce myself. Well, this is already going well.
I nervously chuckle again before sliding my hand down my thigh once more. “I’m sorry. Hi. I’m Wren St. James. Current co-owner of the Cozy Nook Bookshop.” I hold out my hand again and a second later, another warm palm grasps mine.
“Nice to finally meet you Wren St. James.” I shiver at the way this guy says my name. All sensual and so familiar that my heart rate definitely picks up again. “Like I said, I am Xander Ashford.” He holds my hand in a tight hold. Not overpowering, just a confident one. I feel his thumb softly rub across my skin, that small contact making me suck in a breath before quickly pulling my hand away. I nod in his direction, waiting for the second man to officially introduce himself.
“I’m Maverick Alder.” He says in a gruff voice and I smile in the direction I heard his voice while holding out my hand. He quickly gives my hand a good solid shake before pulling away and clearing his throat. “We should get started. We have been waiting for over an hour and we have a lunch thing after this one.” My face must show my surprise at hearing how long they have been waiting. I’m about to apologize and even beg for a chance to prove I’m not usually this late to things because I swear I still had time.
“What my associate is trying to say is that we showed up early to see if you wanted to move up the meeting, but we also didn’t want to pull you from your duties as a business owner. We didn’t mind waiting. We were able to take a look around and observe a few things. Maverick here gets hangry sometimes.” I hear Maverick snort and I giggle a little before I catch myself angling my head down towards the ground.
A finger lifting my chin makes me startle and stumble back, not expecting such a sudden touch. Unfortunately, I’m a blind klutz most days and trip over my own two feet, sending me falling backwards, arms windmilling. I close my eyes tight, hoping there are no bookshelves close enough for me to hit when strong arms wrap around my waist, pulling me up against a firm, hard chest. I inhale a shaky breath and get a strong whiff of the most tantalizing smell ever. It’s a very masculine scent with a hint of something like fresh cotton. The scent makes my mouth water. I’m almost half tempted to lick the person who just saved me from a really sore ass bone and a shit ton of embarrassment.
