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  Fated for the Lion

  Carver City Shifters #1

  Lyra Valentine

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  Copyright © 2016 by Lyra Valentine

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Fated for the Lion: Carver City Shifters #1 by Lyra Valentine May 2016

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Barely containing her curses and grumbles, Lena hoisted a box into her arms. Her desk had been distilled down to the contents that half filled one box: photo frames, coffee mug, and a plastic dinosaur given to her by her niece. Sneaking a glance between thick lashes, she stuffed a stapler under the frames. It was petty thievery, but it made her feel better.

  Seething with rage, she stomped out of her cubicle and down the center row. Richard Johnson had a reputation of getting up close and personal with his assistants. Lena received her promotion to personal assistant the previous week, after his last conquest left for different pastures, presumably the kind that didn’t get fresh with her. Richard reassigned Lena, and he made it two hours before saying something inappropriate and staring down the neckline of her dress. Dick, indeed.

  So maybe she hadn’t been entirely in line when, after a week of escalating bad behavior, she reached over to grab his balls. But his squelch of pain did get her message across. Leave her alone, or he’d be looking for another assistant. The hasty summons to a meeting with HR had been clear enough. At least charges weren’t being filed if she kept her mouth shut.

  Lena ground her teeth as she was escorted out of the building. Of course she was the one to take the blame and lose her job. Not that she was passionate about what amounted to spreadsheet review to begin with. Maybe there was a bright side after all. She could find something better, and she now knew what Rick the Dick looked like with his balls in a vise grip.

  She squinted at the darkening sky. Spring storms were common, and just what she didn’t need on her walk to the train. She briefly thought about calling for a cab, then winced. Without a backup job, she needed to pinch her pennies. She couldn’t justify ordering a cab. With another sigh, she hurried off toward the metro station.

  She paused by a newly constructed building, one of many springing up like weeds, and leaned against the rough, stone wall to flex her sore feet. Heels were a bad choice for storming out angry.

  Good Lord, what was she going to do? She could maybe stretch her savings to cover the next month, but she would still need to come up with rent money by then. She nearly shook with regret and nerves, and suddenly wished she smoked just to have that little calming escape.

  Lena took several deep breaths. And winced when the first raindrop splattered on a picture frame. She turned her face skyward and groaned. The sky rumbled, and clouds quickly blew over the sun. Another rumble, and the sprinkles picked up pace.

  “Shit. Shit. Shit.” She cursed, and dashed into the lobby of the building.

  She noticed a “Help Wanted” sign on the door as it was swinging closed behind her. It was an unusual sign to find in the business district. Most companies were large enough to have their own HR departments weeding through applicants before they even stepped foot through the door.

  Lena turned back around and saw the rain had turned into a monsoon. Lighting flashed and she imagined she would feel the thunder claps if she still stood outside. Resigned, she turned and set her box on the counter. Might as well inquire about the help while waiting for the rain to stop.

  While the receptionist took her sweet time finishing her call, Lena had a chance to look around the lobby. Shit. She didn’t belong there. The graceful planters and pottery blended small waiting areas with the open floor. They had an attached coffee shop, if her nose could be trusted. Even the receptionist was higher on the social ladder than she ever hoped to achieve. She could pair thrift store clothes into a nice wardrobe, but she knew designer clothes when she saw them.

  “Yes? May I help you?” The receptionist turned to her.

  “Uhm. You know what? I would really appreciate it if you would call me a cab. It doesn’t look like this rain is stopping anytime soon and my phone battery died.” Lena quickly thought up the excuse. There was no way she’d be qualified for any job here, unless it was in the mailroom.

  “I’m sorry, we don’t make personal calls. I can direct you to the guest phones around the corner?” The receptionist’s perfect blonde bob shook as she fake apologized to Lena.

  “C’mon. It’s just a quick call.” Maybe she could pin the charge back on the company. They looked well off enough to have private car service. What was a little cab fare to them?

  “The business lines are for persons with business here. Do you have any business, Miss…” The receptionist trailed off, waiting for her reply.

  Lena grumbled under her breath and gathered her box up again. And froze when she saw him crossing the lobby. Ethan Sanford.

  Ho-ly crap. He’d grown up.

  She hadn’t seen him since their high school graduation, and expected to never see him again. All the lean youth that stretched under his uniform shirts and made her knees weak was gone. Now his broad shoulders filled out his suit. There wasn’t a trace of pudge or beer belly like most of the businessmen she knew.

  His light brown hair was cropped close, instead of the shaggy waves she remembered, and his cheeks were dusted with a light crop of beard. His face was harder, though his eyes were just as tough as she remembered.

  Hope and delight at seeing him made butterflies alight in her stomach. Then she frowned. Ethan hadn’t noticed her in school. She doubted he’d even remember her now, and certainly not from across the room.

  ***

  Ethan only half-listened to his associate chattering away at his flank. Something about golf courses and getaways, as if he had anytime to get away from the business lately. He liked to have his hands in the pie, especially when setting up a new wing of the company.

  Emily shot him a glance as his group crossed the lobby. He wondered if she knew how ridiculous she looked when she licked her lips at him. The woman at her desk gestured wildly. Awareness tickled at the back of his mind. He almost expected her to stamp her foot to get Emily’s attention again. Then she turned and he almost tripped over the recognition. Her spine stiffened and her frown deepened.

  Ethan didn’t need to take a breath to know it was Lena Jeffries. But he did it anyway, and luxuriated in the scent that was all her own: a wild mix of coconut and sunshine, and underneath it all came a sweeter scent. His lion sat tall inside him when it caught that scent. The scent of their mate.

  The years after high school had done good things to Lena. She’d filled out in all the right places. Her simple grey dress bordered on almost improper for business. It clung to her hips, and nipped in at her waist. The neckline was low, but she added a scarf to cover her ample cleavage. His eyes slipped lower, over her full thighs and
shapely calves. Her tiny feet were propped in scuffed heels that’d been worn for far too long and he suddenly wanted to take her across his lap and rub away the day’s pain.

  He ran a hand through his hair and willed his inner beast to calm. Leaving the chattering fool at the elevator, Ethan stalked across the lobby. The cat wanted to pounce on her right there, roll her in his scent, and strip her naked. Everything he’d been denied when they were younger.

  “Lena Jeffries. What are you doing here?” Ethan’s voice was low and full of his beast.

  She flinched at her name on his lips. She inhaled sharply, and he picked up nervous determination on her exhale. “I’m here to inquire about a job. I saw your sign in the window.”

  “You said no such thing. Mr. Sanford, she was trying to get me to call her a cab.” The receptionist objected.

  Ethan nodded without looking at Emily. “I think that sign was meant for the coffee shop through the lobby.”

  Lena’s shoulders drooped. Ethan resisted the urge to reach out and stroke her arm. His lion growled. He wanted to comfort their mate.

  That word again. Mate. It was impossible. Lena wasn’t a shifter. Unless he claimed her and turned her—yes, yes, yes, the lion urged—there would be no mate. He clamped down hard on that thought. It was a dangerous idea.

  He looked down at the box in her arms. Her eyes met his, and he saw a flicker of indignation in the steely grey. Understanding dawned on him, and he—and the lion—wanted to protect her. “Why don’t you come upstairs, and we’ll have a chat. Maybe we have an opening for you.”

  He gestured toward the elevator, where the small entourage waited for him. He let her enter the cramped space first, then followed her closely. Ethan swallowed hard and avoided looking at her. Her scent was overwhelming over the others’ and he claimed her with his space. If the other males with him even thought about looking at her…

  No. He adjusted his tie. That wasn’t very businesslike. Even if the men knew they worked with a shifter, it wouldn’t be good practice to disembowel them. Word would get around.

  His eyes followed her as she stepped out of the elevator, and he took a deep breath of air that was no longer stuffed with her. He skimmed over her long neck, revealed by the slick knot she’d tied her dark brown hair into, and resisted the urge to push his nose against her skin and breath her in deep again. His eyes traveled lower, over the nip of her waist, and the flare of her hips. He was sorely tempted to pull her flush against his body and feel the round globes of her ass against his cock.

  His lion growled with matching lust. Biting back his groan, Ethan schooled his beast to calm. He hoped she wouldn’t turn around and notice his reaction. Damn her and the hold she had over him. It’d always been difficult to be around her, especially back then when there had been no other option. His parents had been leaders of the pride then, and didn’t trust humans.

  That was then. And she was here now…

  She wasn’t getting away from him. Not without a taste. His lion, usually easy to control, fought tooth and nail against Ethan’s control. It wanted to roll her over, sink his teeth in her, mark her as theirs.

  There was no denying his beast wanted Lena. It’d always taken an interest in the curvy girl, but there was nothing to be done. Not without revealing his true nature to her. Even with the werewolves stirring the pot for all shifters and outing their existence, he didn’t know if she’d welcome his furry side with open arms. He couldn’t put her in a position to reject him and his beast. The lion snarled at the hard tug of control, and prowled just under Ethan’s skin.

  “Wait here.” He growled and gestured to the overstuffed seats near the upper reception desk. He needed to finish the meeting with his current crowd, and then his schedule would be clear of everything except her.

  Maybe he’d have the big cat back under control then.

  Chapter Two

  “Miss Jeffries, Mr. Sanford will see you now.”

  Shit. All her carefully prepared interview responses went out the high-rise window. Lena left her box where it was, not wanting to be more encumbered than she was with her own mind. She’d spent the half hour alone trying to remember the proper answers to potential questions, but the assistant and imminent encounter with Ethan pushed her haphazardly crafted words out of her head.

  His assistant primly turned on her heel after giving her a quick assessing look and walked back toward Ethan’s bank of office space. Lena smoothed her dress over her hips and resisted the urge to glare. The receptionist downstairs had just been the first line of defense. Should anyone get through her, they had a second gatekeeper to charm. Neither of them found her worthy of entering Ethan’s inner sanctum, and yet here she was.

  She couldn’t help but notice this one had removed her jacket and looked utterly comfortable in the space. Her eyebrows quirked. Had Ethan turned into the kind of man that boinked his assistants? Maybe he was no better than Rick the Dick. A shiver ran down her spine. She might not mind the harassment if it came from Ethan.

  The assistant led Lena into a hallway of glass. Lena flicked nervous glances into the conference rooms they passed, and looked quickly away if they were full. Judging by the framed community and building plans, Ethan’s company was a large development firm. A successful one, at that. The furniture and decor in the glass-walled conference rooms looked expensive.

  She felt ill. She didn’t know what she’d gotten herself into. She almost turned on her heel to collect her box and leave when they reached the end of the hall. Large double doors opened into an even larger private office.

  Lena swallowed hard and stepped inside.

  She heard the double doors close behind her, then registered the assistant stepping sideways through another door. Another sharp click let her know she was alone with Ethan.

  “Come in, Lena, please. I won’t bite.”

  Her nerves spiked even before she had a look at his private office. A bank of glass was at his back, and lit him up like an angel. He wasn’t in business dress anymore. He’d taken off his jacket and tie, and sat in a white shirt with thin blue stripes. It fit him entirely too well, and the rolled up sleeves revealed tanned forearms that looked capable of lifting cars off children without an adrenaline rush.

  She stepped across the room, feeling as if she were entering the lion’s den.

  “Much.” He murmured quietly as she took a seat across from him at the desk.

  Damn. Her pulse quickened, and she told herself it had nothing to do with distracting thoughts of him nibbling across her collarbone. It was entirely unfair for him to be so calm and collected, and send her thoughts spiraling into the gutter.

  “Listen, Ethan. I don’t want to waste your time. This is clearly out of my depth.” She strangled out before he raised a hand and cut off her speech.

  “I am looking for a new assistant. It hasn’t been publicized within the company yet, but Raquel will be leaving soon. Do you have any experience with PA work?”

  She nodded. “My previous position was assisting one of the partners at an accounting firm. Prior to that, I was one of a number of administrators assisting several members on a team.”

  “So you have an understanding of the usual PA duties, good.” He leaned his elbows on the desk and steepled his fingers. An assessing look entered his eyes. “I would, of course, need you to follow me to meetings, and occasionally accompany me on business travel. Which you’d be arranging.”

  She nodded. He was all business, and the assessing glean hadn’t left his eyes. There was something about him that bolstered her confidence. She’d done those duties, minus the travel companion, but he calmed her nerves about performing them for him.

  “Of course.” She nodded again.

  “You meet all the basic requirements, it seems. But…” He scrubbed a hand through his hair.

  “Yes?” Oh, how she longed to do the same to his hair. She imaged how soft the strands would be between her fingers. She could feel color rising in her cheeks.

&nbsp
; “Why did you leave your previous employer? Judging by your box of goodies, it seems like a recent move.”

  Lena winced and felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her. “Ah, yeah. We had a difference of opinions today.”

  Ethan cocked an eyebrow at her. “I hate to say, walking out doesn’t speak volumes about your trustworthiness.”

  Lena hesitated. Damn him for picking up on that. “I didn’t walk out. I…” She’d been told to keep quiet, or she would be the one facing charges for assaulting Rick the Dick. But she had the feeling Ethan would suss out any lie. “I wouldn’t be disrespected.”

  She swore she saw amber leach into Ethan’s green eyes. When she focused harder on him, she saw a hint of the respect she wanted there. He stood, and slowly rounded the large desk. She clasped her hands in her lap and crossed her legs to keep from fidgeting.

  As he drew closer, she caught a whiff of his scent. Her core tightened just at one sniff, and she ached to roll around with him and spread it all over her body, maybe steal a tee shirt and use it as a pillowcase so she could fall asleep wrapped in his scent. He smelled like a mouth watering combination of open fields and baked earth and something else dark and uniquely Ethan Sanford.

  “I think that’s something we all desire, Lena.”

  His words were soft, but his eyes were anything but. The color on her cheeks rose again as he openly eyed her up and down. She was pinned to the chair, and had no wish to leave.

  “Would you consider taking the position?”

  Oh, she’d consider taking any position he wanted to put her in. She shook her head to rid herself of such thoughts, and froze. She didn’t want him thinking she wasn’t accepting his offer. She wet her lips, and noticed when his eyes dropped to watch her tongue. “Yes.”

  “Excellent.” He grinned, then leaned over and punched a number on his desk phone. She could almost see the outline of his muscles through the tightened shirt. “Raquel, have Lena’s things collected from the lobby. She’ll be taking the assistant position. You’ll begin passing everything over tomorrow.”