Alejandro finds himself caring a lot when it concerns Keisha. He shouldn't be looking at her. Thinking about her. She's not the one. But he can't seem to stop himself. How will deal with his confusing feelings when he's yet to find his beauty to break the curse? Happy reading! :-D

"How did you find me?"

Alejandro snaked a chair from another table and sat down at the end of theirs. He grabbed some of her fries from her plate, his quick fingers too fast for her slap to make contact. If looks could kill then the thieving bastard should've died on the stop from her glare. Instead he did his come hither sexy wink, turning their waitress into a bumbling mess. With stars in her eyes she hovered over him and when she brought his order, the same as hers, he thanked her with a kiss on her knuckles.

Keisha swear by the dazed glaze of her eyes if they were to do a brain scan the test results would show the organ short circuited. Blasted devil was too charming and sexy for his own good.

She watched in mortification as her friends welcomed Alejandro with a breathy hi as if they've never seen a good looking man before. In fact, all of their men -except her brother, ew- were some of the sexiest men she ever had the benefit of being in the same room with. Just so much man pretty. Though Alejandro beat them by a small margin she admitted grudgingly to herself.

"What are you doing here?" Ignoring the looks of shock and amusement around her she grabbed a fry and chomped on it. "How did you find me?"

"Great minds think alike querida." Then he winked at her. He winked and her damnable heart flip flopped in her chest. "So what's this about catching a thief?"

"Bea got arrested for a crime she didn't commit," said Bea. She popped a cherry tomato into her mouth and continued, "And she didn't do it. We consulted our..."

Bea hesitated but there was no need for her to be cautious. Alejandro was in good company. Nodding her assent, she leaned back and crossed her arms.

"We consulted our gifts." Pointing at herself, "The crystal ball," her pointed finger went towards Layla, "tarot cards," and then at Jenna to her right, "and visions."

Interested Alejandro placed his elbows on the table pushing his now empty plate to the side. Grabbing another of her fries, he asked, "What did you see."

"None of us saw a face," answered Layla.

"The thief will show themself two nights from now."

"And we have to help Felicite'find them," Bea ended passionately.

Silence fell over them. A sense of unease wriggled in her gut like squirming worms on a fishing hook. There was something else, left unsaid but heard in Bea's urgent tone, she didn't like.

"Would it be dangerous?"

Alejandro asked. She felt a pressure on her knee, his warm hand feeling familiar and as if they've done that before, giving her comfort and making her feel safe.

"It might be," admitted Bea then raced on, cutting Alejandro from whatever he wanted to say.

Wondering what it was, she was only half listening to the rest of Bea's explanation. Until she heard how stricken Felicite' was.

"Felicite' feels guilty about the money we used to bail her out. So we're concerned she'll try something on her own."

Keisha nodded. She understood and would do the same. Besides she'd want to face them on her own head on too.

"So we don't plan to leave her alone. She'll shake us off but one of us will be on her. And taking pictures with our phones soon as we identify the real thief. You'll bring your camera and wear a nice dress."

"Alight," she agreed immediately. "Where and when-"

"No."

As one all four women turned their heads towards the end of the table.

"No querida." He shook his head emphatically. "Too many things can go wrong. What if this thief is armed?"

"That's sweet," whispered Layla.

"No it's intrusive." She glared at him. How dare he? Who was he to tell her no? "You have nothing to do with. You're a lunch crashing eavesdropper."

"A detective will be there. In fact everything is happening at his mother's birthday party in this really ritzy county."

"Guys, guys. There's no need to explain anything. He has no say-"

"Querida-"

Kiesha kicked him underneath the table. He grunted in pain and her toe hurt like hell but if felt good. "I'm in. Just text me details and address later."

She dug into her purse, pulled money from her wallet, placing it on the table. Gathering her things she thanked them for lunch and apologized for the unwanted visitor. Then bounded out of there, sweeping out the door and into the parking lot as if she was Barry Allen. She'd already unlocked her car door when Alejandro gripped her arm and turned him around.

Her breath quickened. They were chest to chest. Much too close. And not for the first time Keisha wished he'd lower his head and try to kiss her. Then maybe, maybe she could resist him. If she was to let her guard down and make the first move, she felt as if nothing will be the same again.

His scruffy beard made her ache to touch the bristles along his square jaw. Her fingers itches to grab hold of his curly afro, sink into them and hold on, bringing his head down so she can stare deeper into his brown eyes with flecks of gold before claiming that full and tempting and sensual mouth.

No. She had to protect herself. He wasn't meant for her. Pulling out his grasp she punched his chest. In frustration over feelings things she shouldn't and in anger for his high handedness.

"What was that in there?!"

"Querida-"

"No. You don't get to call me that." She emphasized each word while jabbing a pointed finger into his chest. "For now we're partners helping each other. I help you find your woman while you prepare for your showing. That's it. Nothing more."

Hurt flashed across his face. His mouth opened to say something more but she was too anxious to get away to hear it. Opening her car door, she slid inside and started her car. She kept her head straight as she maneuvered into the street but like a wuss looked into the rearview mirror. Alejandro still stood where she left him.

And damn him, as always, the image of him haunted her for the rest of the day.

👩😽💓👩😽💓👩😽💓

Alejandro spent the rest of the day in two extremes. Miserable from the silent treatment he had to endure from the one woman in the world who could make him feel like a heel because the urge to protect her and keep her safe overwhelmed him. And excitement. He was standing at a precipice of something great. While it deluded him he escaped the heavy silence and Keisha and into his dark room down the hall which he'd converted from the second bedroom.

He picked up the photographic paper, Keisha's annoyed face staring back at him as he hanged it up to dry. Even when she wasn't smiling the woman was mesmerizing. Damn, he missed her. Even her scolding.

His spine started to tingle. He sighed, left the dark room and went into the bathroom. He removed his clothes, threw them into the hamper and stepped out naked. Moments later, he padded into the living room on his paws, shifter transformation complete.

It was sundown. Another night where he no longer had control of his black jaguar shifter powers. He'd never been more scared in his life. There was only one woman left. The last woman, the one, who can break the curse at long last.

He made his way to the bowl of water Keisha set out for him and quenched his thirst. Jumping up to the couch, he whimpered his grief as she immediately jumped and went to her room. But not before rubbing his head as she always does every night, giving him hope, that her anger had abated a little bit.

His chest tightened as he watched her luscious backside walk away from him for the third time today. And he wondered, not for the first time, why he couldn't get her out of his mind as sleep soon claimed him.

Hours later Alejandro was jarred awake.

Every strain of fur, from his head to his tail, all over his body vibrated with the change inside his apartment. Raising his head from his paws he sniffed the air.

Alejandro leaped leaped from his couch and prowled on all fours, the scent calling him like the sirens enchanting sailors to their doom. He found himself outside the guest room Keisha took over.

Lowering his head he sniffed deeper at the miniscule space between floor and door, imbibing on the heavenly scent drafting from the room.

Catnip. Ambrosia. Nirvana. It drove him crazy for more. For even a smidgen of taste of it. His ears perked at the soft, musical whimper ratcheting everything, his heart rate, breathing, faster, higher and hotter than before.

Everything he ever thought he wanted, everything thing he didn't know he needed, was on the other side of eighty by thirty-six inches and two inches thick door. He had to get inside.

Reaching on his hind legs he swiveled the knob between his two front paws and merciful god above the door swung open.

He slinked inside the room with the wonderful smell and stopped, his body coiled and completely focused on the source.

Keisha. In bed. Asleep. Her knees tenting the sheets into twin mountain peaks. One hand above her head and the other...

Cacete.

"Alejandro," whimpered Keisha, sending a blast of desirous fury right through him, incinerating him from inside out. And mixed in, equally, was the righteous anger of this stupid curse. If it wasn't for the curse, instead of watching her sigh in what looked like an unsatisfying orgasm, it'd be his fingers bringing her to the climax she deserve.

The musk of her orgasm clung in the atmosphere increasing his libido to near blinding pain. Her legs falling apart and back down on the bed were like a starting pistol and before she moved to her side, he'd leapt onto the bed joining her. Her arm shot out and wound around his middle. She snuggled up against him making him think how awake she really was. No matter. Soon the sun will rise and he'll wake her up, ending both their torments.

It was time to stop keeping her away at arms length. Keisha Anders was his. His to pleasure. To fuck. To make her cry out his name.

And he promised himself and her, at first light when he was human again, he would do every filthy thing imaginable.

Are you enjoying the short so far? Have you enjoyed the entire series? Share your thoughts, comments, etc in the comments. Thank you.