Lincoln (Canyon Hollow Shifters Read online

  “Excuse me, Sir! What are you doing here?” A uniformed museum guard walked up to me.

  “I need to get through,” I growled at him but he stood in front of me, blocking my path.

  “Nobody is allowed back here, other than the family and Mr. Williams’ associates,” the man said, squaring his shoulders.

  A low growl escaped my lips, as my bear shifted underneath my skin. I could take out this kid in a second.

  “Yeah, I’m here with Mr. Williams. I’m one of his associates,” I tried, but I knew it wasn’t going to work. This guy smirked, like he didn’t believe me.

  I wished Andrew had just informed the staff at the museum that he was going to bring security. It would have made our jobs much easier, but clearly, he didn’t want the attention. If he told these guys that he’d hired the clan for protection, word would get out to the press and he didn’t want that kind of heat on him.

  “I can’t let you through,” the man said, still blocking my path.

  “I’m trying to find Charlotte Williams. Andrew Williams’ daughter. I need to speak to her,” I barked, pushing my shoulder against his in an attempt to get through.

  “Sir, I’m going to have to call security!” he yelled at me and I glared at him, looking him straight in his eyes.

  “Yeah, go ahead and do that. I am security, you asshole,” I said and the man pulled his own walkie out of his pants.

  I didn’t have the patience to wait for him to figure this shit out. I rammed myself into him, which made him fly backwards. His walkie skidded out of his hands and I charged at him.

  I’d caught him by surprise. He wasn’t expecting me to get violent, and I didn’t want a fight. But right now, I needed to get past him and find Charlotte. I needed to speak to her.

  I didn’t think I would ever see her again, let alone see her pregnant. Her belly full with a child that could be mine.

  The man tried to put up a fight but I pushed him against a wall.

  “Don’t make me do this to you man!” I growled and he struggled in my grip. I could feel my bear fighting underneath my skin, wanting me to shift.

  “Lincoln! Let him go!”

  We both heard her voice at the same time. The guard looked over my shoulder and I turned to see Charlotte standing at some distance from us.

  She had a hand over her stomach, and her phone in the other hand. Behind her was the swinging door of the bathroom. That was where she’d disappeared to.

  I released my grip on the guard and he staggered away.

  “Ms. Williams…” he mumbled.

  “It’s okay, he’s with me. You can go, thank you,” Charlotte said to him meekly.

  I could sense her trying to avoid my eyes.

  I glared at her, breathing her in, taking in the sight of her body. We waited for the man to leave before either of us spoke. But I had no idea what I was going to say.

  Chapter 7

  Charlotte

  My shoulders were heaving with emotion when I saw Lincoln standing in front of me. I’d hoped he wouldn’t come looking for me. I’d hoped I wouldn’t have to explain myself to him.

  But I had to do something. It looked like he was going to choke that poor security guard to death.

  As the man walked away, Lincoln and I stood staring at each other. I’d tried to gather myself in the bathroom, but seeing him in front of me now proved that I hadn’t done a good job of it.

  I was shaking with nerves, I could feel my body tensing to Lincoln’s presence. I was both attracted to him and nervous about him at the same time.

  He took a step towards me.

  “Charlotte…” he breathed my name. I felt a lump appear in my throat, like I couldn’t speak. Just hearing his voice felt like a dream. I thought I’d never see him again, and here he was, in the flesh; standing in front of me.

  But I stepped away from him.

  “Hello, Lincoln,” I murmured.

  I couldn’t help it, my hand remained on my belly. Trying not to attract attention to my pregnancy wasn’t working very well. There was nowhere for me to hide the bulge. I should have listened to my parents after all; and worn a more loose-fitting dress.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here, Charlotte, how are you?” he asked. I gulped, trying to speak and keep my head held up.

  “I didn’t expect to see you either. I didn’t think I would ever see you again.”

  Lincoln clenched his jaw. My eyes roamed over him, his strong tall frame. His brown hair was like cropped short on the sides and long on top. His green eyes were dark and stormy as he glared at me. Just like I remembered him, Lincoln was covered in tattoos. His biceps bulged as he clenched his fists tightly.

  “Are you going to tell me how you are?” he spoke again.

  Thankfully, he was keeping his distance, instead of following me.

  “I’m fine. I’m great…” I murmured, backing away from him even more. It’s not like I had anywhere to escape to.

  “Charlotte, I need you to answer my question. I know we have a lot to say to each other, but firstly, I need to know if this child is mine.”

  I stopped in my tracks, and slowly turned to face him. Lincoln looked like he meant business, like he wasn’t about to leave this place until he got his answer. I didn’t expect him to be this blunt with me.

  I stared back at him. I wasn’t prepared for a situation like this. I didn’t know what answer to give him.

  I couldn’t tell him the truth, not now, not like this. I wasn’t prepared for it.

  “Charlotte?” he said my name again, waiting for a reply.

  I could have just told him, but instead, I chose to run past him and get away.

  Chapter 8

  Lincoln

  The baby was mine.

  Charlotte hadn’t replied to my question. In fact, instead of answering my question, she’d run away. But she didn’t have to say anything. I could tell just by the look on her face that I was the father.

  She brushed my shoulder as she ran past me, and I didn’t stop her. But in a moment, I turned, about to follow her, but then stopped in my tracks.

  Andrew’s speech was over and he had come off the stage and was standing some distance from us now. Charlotte was with him, they were talking.

  They were standing far enough away from me to know what they were saying, but I could sense that Andrew was upset with his daughter.

  When he looked up, our eyes met and he crossed his brows. I realized that for a second, he was surprised to see me backstage, alone with his daughter. There was nobody else around us.

  But then he nodded his head—remembering that I was just doing my job, that I was keeping his daughter safe. Then I watched him place a hand on Charlotte’s elbow and he was ushering her away.

  Charlotte didn’t dare to look at me now as she allowed her father to lead her away.

  I didn’t follow them either. I’d just have to find a different way of getting close to her again. I needed her to tell me the truth.

  I spent a few moments collecting myself, and then I went back out to the venue again. I looked around and saw that the others were still in position. There were no changes, which meant that nothing had happened yet.

  Now that Charlotte was here, and so was my kid; the stakes were higher. Even though she didn’t want to speak to me, I didn’t care—I would have done anything to keep her and the baby safe.

  After I’d checked everyone’s position and received confirmation that things were in order, I stood in the corner and watched. While I was watching, my eyes were also searching out locations for Charlotte. She was nowhere to be seen, not yet. Whatever conversation she was having with her father must have been an important one.

  I tried to concentrate on the job, but my mind kept drifting to her again. That week when she was all mine. The week when I’d put a child inside her, and neither of us knew it.

  I’d led her out of the campsite to where my car was parked and kissed her fiercely. She’d presented her neck to me and I
licked and tasted her sweet and salty skin. She didn’t taste like any other woman before.

  When I lifted her up and put her down on my the hood of my car, she’d giggled. She told me she’d never done this before, and she hadn’t been with a guy like me before either.

  When I asked her what she meant by that, Charlotte just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. I never told her that I was a shifter. And with that statement, I thought that she understood what I was.

  “Nothing. Just fuck me, Lincoln,” she’d whispered as she stretched herself out on the hood of the car.

  I’d pulled her blouse up over her head, so I could get to her breasts. Two heavy rose-tipped breasts underneath her white lace bra. She was beautiful and she wasn’t scared. Even though we were close to the campsite, we could hear the music and people’s voices, she was brave and she didn’t care who saw us.

  I squeezed her breasts, unhooking her bra and slipping it down her milky white shoulders. She had her legs stretched apart, so I could wedge myself between them. I ran my hands all over her, pinching and squeezing her nipples and feeling the wetness between her thighs.

  She shuddered in my arms as I held her, slipping my fingers in her pussy. Her shorts were down by her ankles, where her lace panties were too. I felt the soft flesh of her tight pussy, the warm stickiness of her juices on my fingers.

  Charlotte moaned as she rolled her hips and I plunged my fingers deeper inside her. I hadn’t been with a woman like her either. That was the truth.

  My cock raged in my pants, tenting my jeans furiously. The first time I took her, I didn’t waste any time. We stripped each other’s clothes off and I was inside her, feeling myself move in her, my cock throbbing and pulsating with every thrust I made.

  I held her by her hair, by her breasts as I started plowing her. In and out, my cock squeezed its way into her tight pussy. She was small and delicate and I was worried I’d hurt her. But Charlotte moaned and asked for more, crying out my name with every thrust. She didn’t care how loud she was, and I wanted more.

  Seeing her again had brought the memory of that weekend back in a flash. I’d seen another side of her. A carefree wild side. A girl who wasn’t afraid of sleeping with a man like me.

  Now I was seeing a different side of her. The side that was Andrew Williams’ daughter.

  “Lincoln!” I heard my name and then felt a hand land on my shoulder.

  How long was I lost in thought?

  I jumped and turned to find Ford standing behind me.

  “You all right, man?” he asked and I ran a hand through my hair.

  “Yeah, all good?” I said and Ford smiled and nodded.

  “We’re heading out to celebrate,” he told me and I looked at him with crossed brows.

  “To celebrate?”

  “Yeah, a smooth gig. The event’s over, people are leaving. Andrew Williams and his family just got in a car and left. They’re not our problem anymore.”

  I had no idea. I’d missed everything. I was so lost thinking about Charlotte that I’d barely paid attention to my job.

  “Yeah, good, let’s go,” I said to him, hoping he couldn’t see the dazed look in my eyes.

  I definitely needed a drink.

  Chapter 9

  Charlotte

  “Where are you going?” I heard dad say as we walked in through the doors of the house.

  “To my room,” I replied, without turning to look at him. I knew neither dad nor my mom were pleased with me right now. They thought I’d behaved poorly at the event.

  “Charlotte, we need to speak with you,” he said in a firm voice. I had no choice but to turn to him. Mom had put her purse down and had an exhausted expression on her face.

  “What is this about?” I asked, as they both started walking towards the living room.

  “It’s about you not locking yourself in your room all day, Charlotte,” mom said and I rolled my eyes. “You’re not a teenager anymore!” she added.

  I clenched my jaws in frustration. They were right. I wasn’t a teenager anymore. So, when were they going to stop treating me like one?

  I followed them to the living room. Dad was already pouring himself a drink at the bar in the corner, while mom sat down on the newly upholstered couch.

  “What is it?” I asked, crossing my arms over my breasts.

  “Charlotte, when are you going to start regretting your actions?” Dad asked. I stared at him bleary-eyed, feeling the tears pricking the backs of my eyelids.

  It saddened me to remember how not too long ago, both of them had been so proud of me. I was the center of their world, their source of pride and joy. And now they were ashamed of me. They would never understand how I felt about this baby.

  “I don’t understand what you mean, dad,” I said.

  I didn’t want to fight. I just wanted to go to my room and think of what I was going to do about Lincoln. In the car, dad had informed us that he’d hired a bear shifter clan for extra protection for the family at the auction. I deduced that was what had brought Lincoln to the event.

  At first I was shocked to learn that Lincoln was a shifter. But the more I thought about it in the car on the way home, the more the pieces seemed to fall into place.

  Lincoln always seemed different to me. The way he would take me into his lap, and the way he would growl my name. That meant our child was half shifter. Which was something I could not process yet.

  “You know what we mean!” he snapped, and dad’s eyes drifted down to my belly.

  “I don’t regret my actions, dad. We’ve been over this before. I want to have this child, I want to raise it,” I replied.

  “I cannot believe that you refuse to behave yourself in public, Charlotte!” he snapped again.

  “What more do you want me to do? I went to the auction, didn’t I?”

  “And you ran off stage! You wore this dress, when you know everyone’s been talking about us. About your condition!”

  From the corner of my eye, I could see mom looking away. It was like she couldn’t even look at me anymore. I felt anger start to bubble up inside me. I hated how they considered this baby a condition.

  “I went off the stage because I was feeling ill and I wore this dress because I have nothing to hide. What are you going to do when your grandchild finally does arrive? How do you plan on hiding him or her then?” I was yelling at him now, my hand over my belly.

  Dad muttered something under his breath but refused to reply.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought!” I snapped and stormed out of the room. This time thankfully, neither of them stopped me from leaving. We had all realized by now that we had nothing more to say to each other. I felt like every day, it was getting even more difficult to live in the same house as them. I just wanted to run away. I wanted to feel the freedom and the joy I’d felt on that week at the campsite.

  ***

  Back in my room, I plonked myself down on my bed, and covered my face with my hands.

  I didn’t know what I was going to do now. Lincoln had seen me, spoken to me. Ge’d asked me if the baby was his. I knew he’d seen the answer to that question in my eyes.

  He knew.

  What was he going to do? Come after me? Tell my parents?

  A part of me was afraid of what he would do next, and another part of me was glad to see him again.

  From the moment I saw him in the crowd today, I’d felt that warm sense of safety again. I couldn’t help it. I felt like he’d be able to keep me safe. That he’d be able to help me and save me from the mess that was my life.

  Then the practical side of me was a constant reminder that Lincoln and I could never be together. We belonged to two different worlds. Once he realized the kind of person I was, the kind of world I belonged to—he wouldn’t want me.

  Lincoln was a free spirit, he was a man who lived his life without rules. Commitment and a serious relationship were out of the question for him. I couldn’t imagine Lincoln settling down, even for a child. And beside
s, now that I knew he was a shifter, that changed everything. Even if we could be together, would his clan even accept us?

  Granted, I didn’t know him at all. But that’s what my gut instinct told me about him. Dreaming about a future with a man like him was just a foolish thing to do. It could never happen.

  Those moments of having my legs wrapped tightly around him, of having his mouth on my body, of feeling the pinch of his fingers on my nipples…they were never going to be a reality again. All I could do was fantasize about him from afar.

  Besides, I could never tell my parents the identity of the father. I had no idea how dad would react if he found out that the father of my child was the man he’d hired to protect him. That the man was a shifter.

  As much as I hated my parents right now, and as much as I wanted to get away from them—I knew that finding out about Lincoln would shatter them. They might eventually grow to love their grandchild, but they’d never be able to forgive me for Lincoln.

  Chapter 10

  Lincoln

  For two days, since the charity auction; all I could do was think about Charlotte. Charlotte and the baby growing inside her. I’d barely been able to speak to her. I’d barely heard her voice. But I’d seen the look in her eyes. She didn’t answer my question because she didn’t know how I’d react if she told me the truth.

  That in four months, she was going to be the mother of my child.

  I had to see her again.

  I needed to see her. I couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t eat, all I’d been doing since the event was drinking and hoping that I didn’t explode. I knew that if I continued like this, it would eventually drive me mad.

  If only I could get close to her. Get her to admit she was carrying my child.

  I found myself walking into Andrew Williams’ office building. I’d arrived there unannounced. Even I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing there. All I knew was that her father was the only point of contact between Charlotte and me.

  When I walked into the building, all eyes were on me. I knew I wasn’t exactly a common sight in a place like this. I’d worn a long sleeved shirt today to cover most of my tattoos, but even that didn’t seem to work.