Read Tessa, Vampire/Werewolf Romance, (Standalone) (Shadow Creek Shifters Book 3) for Free Online Page A

handful of late and I thought with you living at the ranch, it might just help.”
    “How so?”
    “He needs a woman closer to the age of his mother. Maxwell’s mother left when he was an infant. I’m not sure of the details just yet, but hopefully he’ll open up to you like he hasn’t to me. Even Katlyn hasn’t been able to reach the boy.”
    “That seems like you want more from me than I think I can commit to.”
    Raphael leaned against the counter in the kitchen now. “I know it seems that way, but that’s what I want from you. The children are aware that a vampire lives at Shadow Creek, and I know they’d be thrilled to meet you. All I ask is to listen and see if Maxwell opens up to you.”
    So he wasn’t asking her to be anything to him, just for his nephew. In a way, her heart sank into the pit of her stomach. She felt almost disappointed, even though she wasn’t ready for anything more. That one night proved that to her. If he had led her to believe he planned to try to romance her or get her into bed, she’d have refused outright. How could she refuse such an arrangement?
    “And I’d have my own cabin, far from everyone else?”
    “Yes. It’s a half-mile away from any other cabin and right now, it’s not hunting season.” When she gave him a strange look, he added, “We run a hunting ranch.”
    “That’s a surprise. Do they also hunt for wolves?”
    “No, deer and elk when they’re in season.”
    “And you werewolves don’t already keep the numbers down?”
    “We don’t hunt wild game most times. To do so would only hurt our business that makes us look like normal ranchers.”
    “Most ranchers have cattle and sheep.”
    “I know, and Silver Creek once was like that, but the previous owners found out that they just didn’t have the resources to support livestock as it’s more wooded than most of the area. It does have an abundance of wildlife, which makes it a smarter move for us.”
    “Okay, so you have a cabin I can stay at and all I have to do is spend some time with your nephew?”
    “That’s it. I wouldn’t expect it to be a daily thing. You need your privacy, and I understand that.”
    “And you won’t expect anything out of me other than that?” Tessa asked as her heart rapped against her chest.
    Raphael drew closer to her. With two fingers, he lifted her chin, which she had tilted down at his approach. He searched her eyes deeply and she was lost in the green pools of his. His pupils changed to slits for only a moment, but he retained his hold on his wolf half since that’s all it was, a flicker. Tessa broke his gaze and stared at his full lips, quirked up into a hint of a smile. Her chest rose sharply at the musky scent of him that evoked a response deep inside her as the warm ache of her arousal was apparent to her. Would he kiss me? Do I want him to?
    His lips came closer now, and he breathed into her lips that parted as he neared. “If that’s your desire, Tessa, I have no expectation when it comes to you. When we come together, it will be of your own free will.”
    “ If we do, you mean.”
    Raphael worked his other hand into her hair, lifted a tendril, and moved it to his nose, inhaling her fragrance. “Tell me, sweet Tessa, that you don’t want me.”
    “I’m not sweet.”
    “I bet you are in all the right places.”
    Tessa pushed him back, a healthy shove since vampires are much stronger than mere humans, even a shifter.
    “Sorry, I-I don’t want you, Mr. Smug. Is that why you came here, to seduce me?”
    Raphael shook his head. “Not at all, but I couldn’t help myself when I took in the scent of your arousal. Or miss the chance to toy with you just to see the fire come into your eyes.”
    Tessa laughed at that since that’s how she did feel. “I’d love to come to live at Silver Creek, but only so I can figure things out.”
    “Of course. I’ll come back tomorrow night to help you move your belongings.”
    Tessa stared into the living room.