Carl:Caveman Instinct series 2.5(2)
The sun glistened on the horizon as I left the path to wander in the garden. Pulling my phone from my handbag, I dialed my best friend Brent. He had been my best friend since high school. We'd met in year seven in the library when Brent had gone in to get away from bullies, too.
He picked up on the second ring. "How's your mum?"
"I've just come outside to tell you the surgery was a success. They took out her appendix and she's in recovery. I want to stay here with her tonight, but I need someone to go check on and feed Sherlock."
"Don't you worry, love. I'll look after Sherlock for as long as you need me to. When do you have to be back at work?"
My best friend was amazing. He was always around to help me whenever I needed him. "Thanks so much, Brent. I really appreciate it. Work has been a nightmare and I have to be back bright and early Tuesday. Lucky it's a long weekend, huh?" A tingling raced up my spine and an odd feeling swept over me. Looking around, I searched for what could cause this strange feeling.
"Oh Bellie, You really need to speak to your union rep and … "
I stopped listening to Brent as my heart rate sped up and an awareness of someone watching me had me spinning around searching. I spotted him and my whole world froze. Holy shit. The man before me was breathtaking.
I muttered something to Brent about calling him later and hung up. I could barely move. I just stood there and stared. The guy was taller than me, which is something as I'm five-ten. I guessed he was close to six-five, maybe even six-six. He wasn't a huge muscular build, but he was defined, with just enough muscle to make him perfect. It wasn't just his body, in what looked like a very expensive suit, that held me captivated. It was his face: his high cheek bones, regal nose with its slight upturn, lips that weren't big, but were definitely not small, his square chin. And the whole package rounded off with his little scuff of a beginning beard, making his GQ appearance complete.
The man before me was like a mirage in the desert. My stomach flip flopped and got hotter the longer I stared. I'd never in my life reacted to a man this way. What had this guy done to me? It was like I was put under a spell.
The man smiled and I swear I almost fainted. He had dimples. Panty melting dimples that turned his manly face into the cutest, cheeky look. It was so sexy. The smile turned predatory and I suddenly felt like a gazelle stuck in a lion's gaze. Frozen. And not with fear. I gazed at him and his brown eyes, so dark that they could pass as black, captured mine. In that moment I knew my world was about to change.
* * * *
Carl
Exhausted and tired from a double shift, I'd made my way to the employee car park on auto pilot. I'd taken this trip a million times. I could do it in my sleep. An unsettled feeling consumed me all afternoon. I told myself it had to do with a call from my sister-in-law. Probably telling me one of their sons had found his soul mate, his one. Barf. I wasn't in the fucking mood to hear that shit and fake my happiness about another of my family falling under this bullshit curse.
I knew I wouldn't be able to dodge my family's phone calls for long, but I intended to avoid them as much as possible and catch up on some much needed sleep.
The late afternoon sun sat on the horizon giving off just the right amount of light. I veered off the path and took the short cut towards my car spot.
"Thanks so much Brent. I really appreciate it."
A voice I'd never heard before, but was the sweetest sound my ears had been blessed to listen to in my whole life, had me freezing on the spot and searching for the owner. I saw her not far in front of me. Standing right before my car was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. She was tall, about five nine or ten, black ballet flats graced her feet, her legs were covered with black dress pants, and her top was light blue and hinted at her curves. Her hair was a dirty blonde like dark honey and pinned up in tight bun. I imagined taking the pins out and running my fingers through it. Her nose was petite and her lips were full and a light shade of red. Needing to touch her, I stepped closer. I had to know if her skin was as soft as it looked, and if the blue of her eyes were indeed that clear sky blue.
My exhaustion left me as I stared at the beauty before me. My once weary body was now hard and alive. My blood went south and my cock strained against my pants. I couldn't tear my gaze from the woman who seemed oblivious that I was now stalking her like a lion stalking their prey.
She was mine. A warm glow flowed through me because I knew just what was happening, the curse was real and I'd found my mate. My one. The other half of my soul.
When I stood within grabbing distance, I watched her light clear blue eyes widen and listened as she mumbled into the phone, "I gotta go. I'll call you back later Brent. Thanks."
She bloody well wouldn't be calling Brent back. She was mine. No other male was allowed to be with her. She wasn't theirs to have, she was mine. She was the one. My mate. My soul. Snatching the phone off her I redialed the number. "Brent. This is Doctor Silverman," I snarled. "No one will be calling you back because she will be with me." I hung up and pocketed her phone.
She blinked. "What the hell did you just do?"
"Name," I grunted. I should probably try to fight the curse, or at least get back some control over myself, but as I gazed at the beauty before me I couldn't conjure up a reason why I shouldn't just let myself go for once and let what my family said was ‘fate' take over.
"Annabelle." She held her hand out and tapped her foot impatiently. "Now please can I have my phone back?" she snapped.
I repeated her name over and over in my head, Annabelle, Annabelle. She suited the name. It was a classy beautiful name for a classically stunning woman. Reaching for her hand I held it in mine. As soon as we touched a jolt of pure need shot through me and where our fingers touched I could feel sparks.
"No." I wasn't giving her phone back. I needed all her attention on me. Her gaze widened and she tried to get out of my hold, but I wasn't letting her go. "Mine. You're mine," I growled. Gathering her to me, I picked her up and walked us to my passenger car door. Pressing the button on my keys in my pocket, I gripped her with one hand and opened the door with the other. I gently placed a stunned woman into my car. Without giving her time to realize what was going on, and run. I bolted to my side, got in the car, started it and took off.
She sat quiet for a moment, frozen in a daze. Then when the car started moving she screamed. "Wait." She went for the door but I locked them. "You can't take me. You have to stop and let me out." She unlocked the door then went to undo it, but stopped when she saw how fast I was going.
We neared the boom gate exit. I knew if I stopped she'd get out. She'd get away and I may miss my chance with her. I wasn't giving up anything with Annabelle. I'd waited too damn long to find my one and I didn't plan on her getting away.
"Please. I'm no one. You don't want me. Please let me go. I promise if you do, I won't tell anyone."
She wasn't nobody. She was someone very special to me and I wasn't letting her go … ever.
My Porsche was low enough that the boom gate would scrap the roof. If it broke I'd pay for the replacement. Money wasn't an issue for me. Not only was I a doctor, I was a Silverman and had plenty of it.
I sped out of the gate not even wincing at the sound of the boom gate scraping over my car and then breaking. Annabelle continued to scream and I glanced over to see her clutching at her seat. A part of me was yelling that I wasn't acting rationally, that something was terribly wrong with me. That I was an intelligent man and a respected doctor, but the other part of me was telling that half to shut the fuck up, and that I needed to focus on getting our mate back to our home, where I would convince her to give me a chance. Where I would make her fall in love with me and I would get my happily ever after, with the love of my live, the two point five children, and the mega mansion.
Ignoring Annabelle's screaming, yelling, and begging to be let go, I speed up.
* * * *
Annabelle
Oh. My. God. I've been kidnapped. Me. A nobody. I mean what reason would anyone have to take me? I'm a Librarian for Christ's sake. I don't have any enemies. The most annoying person I know is my mother and even then she doesn't have enemies. She's a florist. I'm not a stunning beauty that a man like this one, driving like a mad man, could fall instantly in love with. I wasn't super smart. Sure, I wasn't dumb, but I wasn't kidnap-me-and-get-me-to-work-on-something-to-take-over-the-world smart. I was average. That summed me up perfectly.