This entirely original, exclusive, free-to-you story has been brought to you by… me! Play on, playaz…

Please read chapters one, two, and three if you haven’t already.

After five years, Daisy Sawyer has finally come home. Not that she’s too happy about it. She had a great life in LA: rubbing elbows with celebrities, hopping from one exclusive bar to the other, and best of all, she didn’t have to answer to anyone. But when a drunken night of partying lands her in jail, the only person she can count on is her estranged brother, Alec, the leader of a powerful were-leopard clan. Forced to choose between a prison sentence or face the life she abandoned years ago, Daisy returns… but she doesn’t have to like it…

Christian LeBeau owes Alec Sawyer his life. He will do anything for the man, even babysit his bratty baby sister. But Christian never imagined that Daisy could grow up to be so beautiful… and forbidden in more ways than one. His mind tells him she is the one woman he can never have, but his body refuses to listen. All he has to do is take care of Daisy until Alec finds her a proper were-leopard to marry, then Chris could wash his hands of her and get on with his life… but fate seems to have other plans.

And now, I present to you… Chasing Daisy…

Chapter Four

She beckoned to him, the look in her emerald eyes promising hedonistic pleasures beyond his imagination. She had risen from the water like Aphrodite, her long wavy hair draped over her breasts like black silk, and he was powerless against her beauty. Her hips swung gracefully as she sashayed toward him, wearing only a smirk that pursed her full lips. His own mouth became as dry and rough as sandpaper and he discovered that his body had lost the ability to move. Only a foot separated them now. She placed a cool hand on his chest and he was lost, spiraling in his own dark desires for her…

And then those soft, lush lips moved and formed the words, “Fuck you.”

Christian jerked awake in his bed and slapped the alarm clock blaring next to his head. The alarm was not soft and discreet unlike everything else in Alec’s home, but rather like the mournful wail of a jalopy on its last pathetic mile. He could feel the damn thing inside his skull. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with his fist, he sat up and stretched one arm over his head. Then the other. Then he joined his palms together, flipped them over, and stretched both arms in front of him. Only then did he glance at the clock. Seven A.M. In an hour, he would have to take Daisy to the library. It was the first day of her community service.

He dragged a hand down his face. Christ, he had no idea how he was going to get through this. It was only his second day on the job and already he was in danger of losing his mind. He had not been able to stop thinking about Daisy since the brief moment that they touched yesterday. His skin would not let him forget how soft and… right she felt against his.

He saw her once five years ago at her father’s funeral. She had been beautiful and aloof, standing apart from the rest of the pack, her arms folded across her chest like a shield. She had worn a loose black dress that fluttered in the wind and a black wide-rimmed hat that covered the upper part of her face, serving only to emphasize the plump, ruby-red lips that glistened under the sun’s rays. They had reminded him of maraschino cherries. He had glanced at her and dismissed her, thinking she was just another pretty face.

But now… she haunted his every waking thought, invaded even his dreams. With his heightened senses, he could smell her even when she wasn’t around—a citrus, minty smell—and hear her breathing even though her room was two doors away from his. His ears had memorized her voice, her mocking laughter, her soft snores, and yes, even her little sighs. Last night, he had almost jumped into the pool from the balcony of his room when heard one of those little sighs following a rhythmic, buzzing noise.

How could he guard her from those who threatened her when he mooned over her like a teenage boy with a crush? He would have to find a way to exorcise this particular demon from himself. He couldn’t afford any distractions. Not when five of the female leopards had already been taken, three of them found raped and mutilated beyond recognition. There was still no word on the other two and he was the only one who knew the dark avenues Alec had explored in his efforts to find them. To no avail.

He had sworn to protect Daisy with his life and that was exactly what he was going to do. This obsession—hell, whatever it was—could be ignored until it went away on its own. If anything happened to Daisy… He banished the thought from his mind and swung his legs off the bed, sticking them into a pair of jeans he found on the floor.

It was time to get to work.

***

The scene he found as soon as he walked into Daisy’s bedroom almost made him pull out the Glock-17 he had tucked into the waistband of his jeans. A giant of a man was standing next to Daisy’s bed, attempting to yank off the covers from the tiny slip of a woman who was putting up quite a fight. With her teeth bared, her hair a mass of unruly waves, and growling noises emitting from her throat, Daisy valiantly waged a tug-of-war battle with the factotum, bracing her feet against the mattress for leverage. Christian lifted his hand from the Glock.

“Let go of my blanket, you stupid oaf, or I swear I will find your lair and kill you in your sleep!”

The giant was undeterred. “The master said you must get up now.”

“Screw your master!” Daisy clamped her share of the blanket between her knees and used her free arm to pick up a pillow and chuck it at Alfred’s head. “I said five minutes and I meant five minutes.”

“The master said seven o’clock,” the factotum stated baldly, jerking his head to the side to avoid a projectile yellow duck. “Five minutes past seven now.”

The glare that Daisy leveled on the man should have incinerated him where he stood.“The library is only three blocks away and I. Can. Get. Ready. In. Ten. Minutes. You can let me sleep till seven-thirty and I would still be on time.”

Alfred released his death grip on the blanket causing Daisy to topple backward and almost fall out of bed. “The master is waiting downstairs with breakfast. He does not like to be kept waiting.”

“I am his goddamn sister, not his prisoner!”

At this, Christian glanced at the iron bars that covered her windows. Though decorated with ornate roses, they were still nothing more than tools to make sure the occupant stayed in her room like she was supposed to.

“But obviously I spoke too soon,” Daisy murmured, switching her laser death-glare to Christian. “For here is my prison guard now.”

The factotum turned and nodded at him. “Sir.”

Christian returned the greeting and the giant stalked out of the room, pulling the door close behind him. Alone. Daisy was sprawled in the middle of the bed dressed only in white cotton panties and a thin blue tank top that did not cover her middle. Her long olive legs were folded under her and one of the straps of her top had slid off her shoulder. She frowned at him and grabbed a pillow so she could cover her front.

“Good morning, dungeon master.”

His traitorous mind showed him flashes of Daisy shackled in chains. Naked. Issuing an invitation for ravishment with her eyes alone. He ignored the uncomfortable tightening of his jeans. “Good morning, Ms. Sawyer. Ready for your big day?”

She raised one eyebrow. “Are you?” She grabbed a mug from her bedside table, a caffeinated bribe most likely brought up by Alfred, and looked him over as she softly blew on the surface of the steaming liquid. “What is Alec paying you for this job, Mister… Lebeau, is it? I can double it, whatever it is, if you’ll pack your bags and get far, far away from me.”

“You can’t afford me,” he pronounced with certainty. Unbeknown to her, Alec had frozen her credit cards and she only had forty-three dollars and fifty-eight cents in her checking account. The money their mother had left her was locked in stocks and various investments.

Not that he’d take the money even if she had it. What he owed her brother was a lot more than a few thousand dollars in the bank. He wondered how she would react once she found out she was broke.

“All right, then.” She unfolded her legs and stretched them in front of her. The pillow she had covering her chest was lowered a fraction of an inch. “What do you want, Mr. Lebeau? I’m quite flexible. Try me.”

Christian sighed. Was she going to go down that route already? He had hoped she would keep bargaining. He was curious to know what else she would offer him to make him go away. Besides, he was just starting to enjoy himself. “Trust me, Ms. Sawyer, there is nothing you have that I want.”

Her eyes narrowed. One corner of her mouth went up a millimeter. “You’re so not gay, shut up.”

He grabbed her bathrobe from the foot of her bed and tossed it at her. “Or you’re not my type. I like tall, leggy blonds from Sweden.”

She stared at him for a moment as though she was trying to get a bead on him. Christian shifted his weight from one foot to the other and stared right back. Behind Daisy, the light bulb of the lamp flickered before fizzing out entirely. Christian frowned. He had all of the bulbs replaced just a few days ago.

“Liar,” she murmured. “Oh, well, I have plenty of time to get to know your likes and dislikes in the coming months. Or at least until I can figure out how to get Alec to kick me out of this house.”

He didn’t want to be the one to tell her that Alec wasn’t just playing big brother this time. The man had plans for his sister, ones that were more connected to his duties as Alpha than that of a concerned sibling. Christian didn’t necessarily agree with those plans, but it was not his place to have an opinion about it.

“But I’ll play along for now.” She rose out of the bed like an empress rising from her throne and flung her mane off her shoulder. “You may go.” She eyed him speculatively. The smirk had returned to tease her lips. “Unless you would rather stay and watch me shower?”

Christian took a deep breath through his nose, taking pains to ensure that his chest did not visibly rise in the process. “I’m sure you have nothing that I haven’t seen.” He bowed mockingly in her direction. “I will see you downstairs for breakfast.”

She turned away and strode towards the bathroom, muttering under her breath. She must not have realized that his ears were as preternaturally sharp as hers, because he was sure she said, “Not if I see you first.”

And the Daisy he was getting to know would have come up with a better comeback than that.

Stay tuned next week for Chapter Five…

____________________________________________

Dionne Galace lives in San Diego, California, just a few minutes away from the beach. She enjoys body-surfing, swimming, hiking, and trolling around comic book stores. She is a huge fan of The X-Files and lives in hope that she will see Mulder and Scully get married… in any shape or form. She is not a fan of hulabaloos or tomfooleries, but is quite fond of shenanigans. She is currently working on a kickass YA novel that somebody, anybody should buy already… ’cause it’s kickass. Ask Shuzluva.

Stealing is not cool. Ask Jane from Dear Author, if you don’t believe me. Props to April Martinez for the fabulous cover. She is one talented, gorgeous babe. Join me in giving her a terrorist fist jab over these internets.

Note: Hey, other writer-types, do you want to contribute to The Serial? If so, holla at yo gurl and I’ll hook you up, yo.

Till, then… Love, peace, and snarkage, my babies. Peace!

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