Free Cinder's Wolf: A Shifter Retelling of Cinderella (A BBW Shifter Fairy Tale Retelling Book 2) by Sylvia Frost Page B

Christmas.”
    Cynthia was surprised to find herself grinning so hard her cheeks hurt. “I like that. Although diamonds are still a little too cliché.”
    “Well, I’m not sure my slogan has quite the same appeal anyway.” Rex smiled, although it seemed planned somehow. Measured. “Or maybe you’ll say romance is overrated too.”
    “I think it’s dangerous.” Cynthia tried to unscrew the cap of the water bottle, but her fingers slipped the plastic grooves.
    “Dangerous?” He cocked his head. There was a reason Rex was one of the top venture capitalists in the world. He had an eye for detail, too, and now that laser focus was burning her alive.
    “I-I just mean that I can’t really afford distractions right now.” The cap came loose, but Cynthia didn’t take it off, instead she twisted left, then right, then left again.
    She was such an idiot. Smiling, joking with Rex West, as if he were her friend. Men that powerful were nobody’s friend. Especially not the women they slept with. If she was lucky, he’d just sleep with her and forget her, and if she wasn’t….
    The cap sprang loose in her fingertips and popped up in the air, flying off to the side, over the railing and down into street below. She laughed in unease. “Whoops.”
    “I’ll have my butler get it.” Rex waved a dismissive hand.
    “What?” Cynthia asked, standing up from her chair and rushing over to the edge of the railing to peer down. “Please don’t tell me you have a butler just for lost water bottle caps.”
    It was impossible to tell if he did. All she could see were the tops of people’s heads, and the blur of valet cars and cabs pulling up to the Plaza’s red-velvet covered steps.
    “Not just for bottle caps. He’s in charge of lost keys and flyaway newspapers as well.” Rex’s hot breath tickled her bare neck. She could feel his long, lupine smile against her skin as he kissed her hairline.
    “Funny.” Cynthia started backward, but only found herself colliding with his hard chest. He had taken his coat off at some point. Worse, she realized, her purse was pressing against him. She had snapped it shut, but if he had fast fingers, he could easily steal one of her business cards now and she wouldn’t be the wiser. A face and a first name was one thing—a last name and her company address was another.
    Male investors talked. And whether she screwed him at this point wouldn’t matter at all. If he saw her card, she’d be the “Cynthia Cinders Rex West banged” not Cynthia Cinders CEO of Boxes & Broom.
    You’re lying to yourself. You know he wouldn’t do that. You’re just afraid he’ll actually want to see you again. Or that he won’t.
    His arms wrapped around her. They should’ve felt imprisoning, given that she knew he wouldn’t let her go. And they did. But faced with the endless chaotic city below, it was a comforting captivity.
    “I’m taking you to bed now, Princess.” His hand pressed against her stomach, pushing her body into his, making sure she could feel the hardness in his pants. “But first, you have to promise me one thing.”

Chapter 11
    A s Rex pressed Cynthia against the railing of the terrace, his mate’s curves surrendered to his hard muscles and harder will. Only the thin fabric of her sparkling gown and his suit separated their naked flesh. Her pillowy ass teased the stiffening length of his cock, and pinot noir and champagne lubricated his blood, spurring his inner wolf on.
    “Promise you what, Rex?” she asked.
    “Nothing terrible.” Rex stroked her arm, calming himself as much as her. Demons, her skin was softer than a wolf’s pup fur. “Just promise that you won’t run away tomorrow without saying goodbye.”
    “Rex…” Cynthia’s voice was small, almost lost in the dark stretch of New York night.
    “I’m not asking for forever, just common courtesy. Unless…” His hands slipped from her arm to her wide hips. Unlike the bevy of models he had used to quench his libido