A Shifter Romance Duet

Boobs and abs. They were all I saw while wading in the waves on the Sydney beach. I’d been in Australia for a few months and admired their lack of give-a-damn. I hadn’t jumped on the topless beach train, but those who did seemed to live carefree lives that had me slightly envious.
Taking the nanny gig here was something I had done on a whim in hopes of finding myself again after having spent the last couple of years traveling around the world without a plan. Well, other than to forget the pain I felt at losing a piece of me.
So far, Australia had been mostly screaming twins and showers three times a day, six days a week. The three-year-olds I cared for liked to throw their food at every meal. Their parents laughed while I grimaced at the evil beings disguised as toddlers.
It was nearing time for me to head back to the house. The water was warm, and the bright sun had been warming my exposed skin for several hours already, so I didn’t have much to complain about other than my fingers and toes beginning to turn into prunes.
I pushed my arms through the surf, making my way back to the sandy shore. “Ouch.” I yanked my hand out of the water, expecting to find blood with how badly my skin suddenly ached. Instead, all I saw was a red mark on my inner left wrist that looked like something had bitten me. “What the hell?” I muttered.
I kept my arms out of the ocean as I swiftly got back to the beach. I silently hoped the bite wasn’t anything to worry about. It hadn’t broken skin, and nothing was swelling. Yet.
The burning intensified as I got to my things on the sand. I searched for my phone, fully intending to Google what might have stung me, but was interrupted by warm droplets landing on my shoulder. A shadow cast over me, and I glanced up from my crouched position.
“Can I help you?” I asked, trying not to be rude in my haste to leave. Australians were some of the nicest people I’d met in all my travels.
His arm came up in a jerky motion as he ran his fingers through wet hair, getting even more water on me. I tried to focus on his face, but the sun was guarding it. Glancing down, I got an eye full of defined abs and black board shorts that hung just low enough to show off the muscled V leading south of his stomach.
“Who are you?” he demanded. His accent was American, taking me by surprise.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” I retorted, matching his attitude and standing up to get a better look at him.
Holy hell, I should have stayed on the ground.
The man before me was tanned and muscled, but not bulging like he worked out three times a day in a gym. No, these well-rounded and defined muscles spoke of hard work. His shaggy brunet hair had golden highlights under the beating sun, and the scruff along his jaw added to the rugged vibe he was throwing off.
He barked out an angry laugh. “Who is your alpha?”
“The hell? Is that Aussie lingo for boss?” My brows furrowed, but he didn’t respond. “Again, that’s none of your business. Why don’t you leave before I call the cops?” My iPhone was gripped in my hand, and I knew if I rapidly clicked the lock button five times, it would call emergency services. Well, at least, back home it would. Hopefully, it was an international feature.
I was trying not to overreact, but I wasn’t dumb, either. Human trafficking was a real thing.
My heart was racing as he stepped closer, his breath brushing across my forehead as he looked down on me. I couldn’t tell if my increased pulse was from fear or desire, because while I didn’t want to end up as a prisoner, I wouldn’t deny this man was attractive.
His dark blue eyes narrowed at me, and he sniffed the air around us. No, that couldn’t have been right, could it?
He did it again, taking a big old whiff above my hair, not at all trying to hide his actions.
This was getting much too weird for me.
“I’m going to walk away now, and you’re going to stay right here. Do you understand?” I used my serious voice that was normally reserved for the kids I cared for, all while trying to mask my underlying curiosity in him.
He shook his head, once again spraying water on me.
Before he could respond to my previous question, I couldn’t help snapping at him again. “Will you quit acting like a dog and getting me wet?”
He smirked this time, some of his anger falling away as he lowered himself to my eye level. “I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I don’t have time for witch games.”
“You’re insane, you know that? Seriously, though. I’m going to go.” I bent down to grab my bag, my injury completely forgotten as I focused on keeping my hands to myself.
It didn’t matter that my fingers had wanted to trail over his well-defined stomach muscles as soon as I’d laid eyes on them. The dude was out of his mind, and I needed to make a quick escape.