Caught Me Off Guard Chapter 1 Novels & Stories

The sound of waves crashing against the shore grew louder as I walked. The cabana was empty when I arrived. Just the waves and the faint rustle of palm leaves. I stood still, irritated with myself for even considering this. What was I thinking? I turned to leave but collided with something solid. My body jerked back, and a startled yelp left me as I lost my balance. Squeezing my eyes shut, I braced for the fall, but firm hands caught me before I could hit the ground. My eyes snapped open, and I found myself staring up into burning hazel ones. I couldn't breathe nor move. Everything else seemed to disappear, leaving only those eyes.

My hand connected with something solid—a door—but as soon as I touched it, it swung open unexpectedly. The sudden movement sent me tumbling forward into the darkness beyond. I braced for impact with the floor, my arms instinctively stretching out to break my fall, but instead found myself caught against something warm and solid—a body. Strong hands steadied me, gripping my upper arms with surprising gentleness despite their obvious strength. I heard a familiar voice, tinged with surprise and a hint of amusement. "What's wrong with you?" I looked up, my vision clearing just enough to recognize who had caught me. The realization hit me like a bucket of ice water, temporarily cutting through th

Resolved, I remove one of my shoes and creep down to where he is, the weapon clenched tight in my hand. Immediately I'm within reach, my hand raises higher in the air, aiming to attack. But with quick reflexes, the perpetrator whips around and catches my hand in his bruising grip, the cigarette stuck between his lips. My eyes flash wide when I realize who he is. "Hunter!?" I gasp, heart thundering. Oh, shit. What have I done? Tbc.

I leaned forward, my knuckles turning white as I stared at his flawless, aristocratic face on the screen, a toxic mixture of absolute fury and pure terror clawing its way up my throat. "No way," I whispered into the quiet space of my cubicle, my voice trembling as the sheer gravity of my mistake finally settled deep in my gut. "No way... it’s him." End of Chapter 10

I gripped the edge of the table, struggling to stay upright, but the sensation only intensified, like a tidal wave crashing over me. Then, just as quickly as it began, it stopped. The dizziness faded, and the room snapped back into focus. I blinked, disoriented, as I realized I was no longer alone. Quinton stood in the doorway, his expression tense, his eyes locked on me. I hadn’t even heard him enter. “What’s going on?” His voice was sharp, laced with an urgency that made my heart skip a beat. I shook my head, still trying to make sense of what had just happened. “I… I don’t know. This book—I felt something when I touched it. And then—”

"What? Go!" He raised his eyebrows at me and took a step to the left. I glanced behind him and almost fainted at the sight. There lay one of the bikes I had previously crashed into. Fuck. My. Life. --- First chapter down! How are you liking it so far?

##Chapter 8: Cassidy Book One: Stay A heartbeat ticks by before he reaches out, his larger hand covering mine. My attention drops to our clasped fingers. Normally, I don't like being touched. When he'd grabbed my arm at the party, everything in me had seized up. But his hand lying gently over mine doesn't trigger a response. Actually, that's a lie. It does do something to me...something I'm unwilling to acknowledge. "You don't know me." And I don't want him to know me either. Not the real me. Not the one who made such a mess out of her life last year.

CHAPTER 9: CERTAINLY UNEXPECTED EVERLY: Suddenly, something whooshed past me. I glanced around to see what was going on and before I could react, a large, grey wolf slammed into me, and knocked me off my feet. His move was more playful than aggressive, but the force of it sent me sprawling. “Whoa!” I yelped, scrambling back. “Hey! I’m not—" My words died in my throat as my vision blurred, and my bones cracked loudly. Then I felt a surge of power flood through my bones.

My legs gave out from underneath me, I tried to brace myself for impact against the ground, but instead my weak body was pulled into strong arms. I blinked, trying to clear the blurriness in my eyes again, the dark spots started clouding my vision, but before it fully had a chance to pull me in, I was met with deep seafoam eyes that shone with so much intensity, “I have you.." *** This chapter wasn't the best, my apologies, next chapter will be better I promise. Shalini Zhara <3

Heat rushed into my face and I looked away first. I turned and started walking toward the room. I wasn't sleeping on that bed. No chance. The sofa looked comfortable enough. Even the floor looked like a reasonable option at that point. I tightened my fingers around my dress and took another step. Then suddenly everything tilted. The room shifted, and my head spun. Before I could react, a hand caught me. Firm, strong. My body collided lightly against his chest and I looked up instantly. Bad idea.Because he was close again.Too close.