“And sometimes...your blood relatives turn out to be your worst enemies,” Gramma said. “You have to choose your friends and family wisely. Yes, that’s right. You choose your own family, your own tribe. You have to know who has got your back...”
“...and who wants to stab you in the back,” Ne-ma finished.
Lisa blinked hard.
“You…you know what happened to me?” she whispered at last.
Gramma shook her head. “We don’t know your background. But we can sense your pain and loneliness, Lisa.”
“We really wanted to reach out to you, but you seemed determined not to let anyone get too close to you,” Ne-ma said. “You avoided eye contact with the townspeople and excused yourself in a hurry whenever someone tried to talk to you. You were trying to stay invisible. But...there was a certain longing in your eyes.”
“You wanted to belong,” Gramma said, putting her arm around Lisa. “You wanted to be part of our community. We noticed you the day you arrived in town, and we saw that you were alone so we did our best to look out for you while trying not to be too obvious and interfering.”
Lisa swallowed repeatedly. She was embarrassed at her own behavior and deeply moved that these two elderly ladies who hardly even knew her had taken the trouble to look out for her. They were just strangers, yet they genuinely cared for her well-being.
“I’m sorry,” Lisa blurted out suddenly. “I just wish...”
Gramma hugged her as Lisa broke down. She leaned on Gramma’s shoulder and cried for a long time.
Gramma and Ne-ma were right. Family isn’t about blood. The people who had plunged a knife into her back and twisted a blade into her heart were her own father and brother.
She had to face the awful, excruciating truth that she never had a real family. Philip and Gregg were related to her by blood, but they weren’t really her family. In fact, they were even worse than strangers. Mere strangers treated Lisa with more kindness and consideration.
Strangers didn’t try to sabotage her and destroy her. Philip and Gregg had set her up to take the fall for them. They had wanted her arrested and thrown into jail so that she would look like the guilty one.
They were hoping to point their fingers at her and pin all the blame on her. They were going to tell the investigators and prosecutors that Lisa was the one who had committed all those fraudulent acts, and that was why she was trying to steal the documents from Bryson to destroy the evidence of her crime.
Lisa dried her eyes and blew her nose noisily. “I...I don’t know what came over me...” she muttered.
“It’s good to give vent to your feelings. Cheer up, dear. Things will only get better from now on. We’re here for you,” Gramma said, patting her hand.
“T-thank you.” Lisa sniffed. “I...I’m sorry...”
“What are you sorry for?” Gramma scolded gently. “You’ve been keeping all your pain inside. Cry, scream, shout, smash a few things...don’t deny your feelings. Trust your feelings. Your feelings are seldom wrong, Lisa. And trust your wolf too.”
Lisa turned and saw Ne-ma walking in from the kitchen. She hadn’t even noticed that Ne-ma had left the dining room.
“Apple pie!” Ne-ma announced, setting the tray on the table. “I baked it this morning.”
“Oh, Neveah’s apple pies are the best,” Gramma told Lisa with a grin.
Lisa blinked in surprise when Ne-ma put four plates on the table. “He’ll be here soon,” Ne-ma said casually.
“Who?” Lisa asked.
A musical tinkle sounded as the front door of the inn opened. Her wolf sat up at once and pawed at her.
She recognized his scent and her entire body heated up with anticipation and excitement.
She could feel herself blushing furiously as Gramma and Ne-ma sneaked glances at her.
Before she could run her fingers through her tangled hair, Bryson’s tall, broad frame filled the doorway.
His piercing gray eyes met hers as he stepped into the dining room.
“Lisa.”
The sound of her name on his sexy lips made her breath hitch and her heart lurch in her chest.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Bryson,” Lisa stuttered. “What...what are you doing here?”
Not taking his eyes off her for even a second, he said, “Ne-ma called me. She...”
“I invited him over for some apple pie,” Ne-ma explained hurriedly. “Bryson can never resist my pies!”
Gramma snorted and suppressed a giggle.
Lisa saw Gramma giving Ne-ma two thumbs up, and the two little grandmothers did a hip bump.
Lisa frowned.
What were Gramma and Ne-ma up to?
She was pretty sure that Ne-ma hadn’t called Bryson over just for a slice of apple pie. Bryson’s windblown hair and wide, wild eyes suggested that he had driven over to Broomstick Inn like a madman, careening round corners like a stunt driver.
“Ne-ma called me five minutes ago. She told me that you’re here in Broomstick Inn,” Bryson said, seeing the confusion and suspicion on Lisa’s face.
“I also told him that we’re having apple pie,” Ne-ma piped up, flashing her sweetest, most innocent smile. “I really did invite him over for apple pie.”
Bryson chuckled. “Yes, she did. Ne-ma told me to come over and have some apple pie.”
Ne-ma smirked. “I told you the truth, didn’t I?”
Lisa couldn’t help chuckling as well. “Yes, you did.”
Gramma and Ne-ma meant well and she had no doubt that these two mischievous, witty grandmothers took great delight in pulling pranks on each other and running circles around their friends.
“Sit down, Bryson,” Gramma said, indicating the chair opposite her. “Let’s eat.”
As they sat down around the table, Gramma nudged Lisa and said, “Bryson is a regular here. He eats at Broomstick Inn at least three times a week!”
Bryson smiled. “The food’s great!”
Ne-ma pointed at her “Kiss the Cook” apron and winked. “He always seems to know when I’m wearing this.” With a booming voice, she declared, “The apron must be obeyed. So come on, kiss the cook!”
Gramma rolled her eyes but Bryson gamely leaned forward and planted a loud kiss on Ne-ma’s cheek. Lisa did the same, much to Ne-ma’s amusement and glee.
Lisa took a bite of apple pie and let out a moan of pleasure. “Oh my, this is the best apple pie I’ve ever tasted! It’s amazing!”
“Neveah won a pie-baking competition,” Gramma said, thumping Ne-ma on the back. “She’s the champion!”
Lisa took another big bite and made sounds of appreciation as she ate.
Her wolf was happy to be near Bryson, and so was Lisa. She was honestly thrilled to see him here. Gramma and Ne-ma seemed to know her better than she knew herself.
Bryson chatted with Gramma and Ne-ma, and the conversation flowed easily around the table. The setting was warm and intimate, and Lisa felt like she was with a group of close friends.
It was a nice but unfamiliar feeling. She had never had any close friends in the Arrow pack.
Her conversations with her pack members were superficial and strained, and she now suspected that her pack mates had been instructed not to share too much information with her.
After everyone had finished their second helping of pie, Ne-ma said matter-of-factly, “You’ll be going home with Bryson, right Lisa?”
Lisa’s brows shot up.
“I...really?” she spluttered. “I don’t know...Bryson may not...”
Bryson took her hand and asked softly, “Why do you think I’m here, Lisa?”
“For the pie?” Lisa said weakly.
Gramma and Ne-ma snickered.
“He’s here for you, Lisa,” Gramma said. “And we know how you feel about him. You’ve been admiring him quietly from a distance but you were too shy to approach him. We saw you watching him, and...I don’t mean to boast, but Neveah and I are great matchmakers!”
“Our success rat
e is one hundred percent!” Ne-ma hooted proudly.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Bryson closed the car door once Lisa was in the passenger seat. He turned around and nodded at Gramma and Ne-ma, who were standing at the door of Broomstick Inn.
“Thank you,” he said.
The two sweet grandmothers beamed at him. “Take good care of her, Bryson,” Gramma said softly.
“I will,” he promised.
“We know you will. We know that you’ll give her everything she needs,” Ne-ma said. “Lisa needs you, even if she doesn’t know it yet.”
Ne-ma canted her head and mused. “Or maybe she does. That’s why she came back.”
Gramma grinned and pointed at herself and Ne-ma, “We never get it wrong. We can feel...love. True love is just so magical.” She sighed dreamily.
Bryson smiled and slid behind the wheel. They would be driving home in his car, so Lisa would leave her little car parked in front of Broomstick Inn for the night.
As he pulled away from the curb, Lisa turned and waved until Gramma and Ne-ma were out of sight.
Turning to him, Lisa cleared her throat and said shyly, “Thanks for...taking me in. I was planning to sleep in my car tonight,” she added with a short, awkward laugh.
“Shadow Point is a pretty safe town, but I won’t let you sleep out in the street,” Bryson answered.
Lisa fell silent for a moment. Finally she muttered, “I am sorry...”
Gulping, she went on, “I’m sorry I tried to steal your documents. I should never have done that. I...I was so stupid! I believed everything Philip and Gregg told me. They have never given me a reason to trust them, and yet...”
Dropping her head, she whispered, “I wanted to trust them.”
Lisa closed her eyes briefly and exhaled a painful breath. “You were right, Bryson. It was a set up. Philip and Gregg knew I was inexperienced and scared, and they were certain that I would get caught. The Arrow pack would deny any knowledge of my actions and insist that I was acting on my own. I was to be the fall guy.”
“Lisa...”
“I’m a fool,” she breathed, leaning her head against the window. “I’m the biggest fool in the world.”
Bryson reached over and took her hand. “Philip Ayers is a very wily and cunning man who knows how to use and manipulate the people around him. He’s been covering his tracks very well over the years. The authorities have been investigating the Arrow pack for some time now.”
He paused and said, “I’m a forensic accountant yet it took me quite a while before I could see how cleverly and slyly the numbers have been tweaked and falsified in the pack accounts. Your Alpha and Beta won’t get away with their crimes. And the senior members of the Arrow pack who are in on the scheme will be charged as well.”
Lisa grimaced. “They won’t get away. But they’ll make sure that I go down with them.” She sighed heavily. “I’m not innocent, not anymore. I’m now a thief, an accomplice...”
Bryson shook his head. “No. Nothing was stolen from my house. I didn’t find a thief in my bedroom.” He stared at her and said, “I found my mate.”
Lisa opened and closed her mouth and her breathing quickened. Her eyes glowed with heat and Bryson could see her wolf rising to the surface.
Her wolf recognized him as her mate, even if her human brain refused to acknowledge the burning, undeniable connection and attraction between them.
“You are my mate, Lisa,” Bryson repeated. “I shouldn’t have let you go. But a part of me knew that you would return.”
“I...”
“I won’t let you go this time,” he growled. “I will keep you safe and protect you with my life, Lisa. I swear I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Her lips trembled as she struggled to get the words out.
“I wasn’t supposed to meet you at all,” she whispered at last. “I was supposed to steal the documents and get the hell out of Shadow Point.”
Bryson quirked a lopsided smile. “Thank God I came home early. Gramma and Ne-ma chased me home. They kept telling me to go straight home after dinner and they refused to serve me dessert.” He frowned. “Did they know...”
Despite herself, Lisa found herself chuckling softly. “Yes. They knew. They watched me watch you.”
“Nothing escapes those two witches.” Bryson smirked. “I heard that Gramma and Ne-ma cast a Happily-ever-after spell to help their grandsons find their mates.”
Lisa was quiet for a while. “Who wouldn’t want to find their happily-ever-after?” she said, gazing out wistfully at the dark street.
Bryson glanced at Lisa and saw the pain and grief etched on her features. She had been hurt and betrayed by her own pack, her own family. Her father and brother should be the ones protecting her and loving her, yet they had schemed against her. It was no wonder that she found it difficult to believe that there would be someone who would love her truly and unconditionally forever.
Silently, Bryson swore that he would show her that true love did exist.
He would love and protect her forever, and he would give her the happy family and happily-ever-after that she so deserved.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Lisa looked down at their joined hands. Their fingers were interlaced and Bryson kept glancing at her as he drove. His gaze was tender and filled with love and desire.
Lisa felt her heart squeeze in her chest.
Mine! Her wolf growled.
She took a deep breath to try and calm herself down. Her body was heating up and if she didn’t regain control of her lusty beast soon, she would just claw Bryson’s clothes right off and climb onto his lap while he drove.
She stole a glance at his handsome profile and blushed.
Volunteering to steal the files from Bryson was the stupidest, most reckless...and most wonderful thing she had ever done.
Coming to Shadow Point was the turning point in her miserable, mundane life.
Her father and brother had sent her to Shadow Point to be caught and arrested, and ultimately destroyed.
But fate had other plans.
Fate threw her into the arms of her mate, where she would be safe.
She had suffered enough in the Arrow pack. She had been humiliated, demeaned and set up by her own father and brother. She had gone through enough pain and heartache.
She had never felt any real love or happiness in her twenty-two years. But that didn’t mean that she wasn’t worthy of anyone’s love, respect and loyalty. Philip and Gregg had led her to believe that she was unlovable, worthless and useless. They wanted to silence her and make sure she never spoke up about what went on in the Arrow pack.
She was out of the Arrow pack now. And she was going to have everything they said she couldn’t have. She would have love, pleasure, joy and happiness. She would have a real family.
Mate! Her wolf nudged her.
Lisa smiled.
Yes, she would have a mate.
And she would listen to her wolf for once. She had ignored all the warnings that her wolf had given her over the years. She just didn’t want to believe that her own family was the real enemy. Sadly and frighteningly, the enemy was within, not without.
She suddenly realized that all the stories that Philip and Gregg had spun about the other rival packs in Moonvale were probably false as well. They’d painted the other packs as greedy, unscrupulous bastards who were plotting to grab the territories and properties of the Arrow pack. It was probably the other way around. Philip and Gregg were eyeing the lucrative businesses of their rivals, and scheming to get their fingers in the pie.
Lisa scowled and shook her head. She didn’t want to think about her old pack anymore. Their actions and motivations sickened and nauseated her. She wanted nothing more to do with them.
When Bryson pulled up in front of his house, Lisa leaned over and kissed his stubbled jaw on impulse.
Bryson turned and his mouth found hers.
Lisa parted her lips for him and Bryson deepened the kiss with a growl.
They tasted and savored each other hungrily, and Lisa moaned when their tongues tangled.
She wanted more. She wanted to feel everything with Bryson.
Unable to tear their lips and hands away from each other, they got out of the car swiftly and stumbled up the front steps, still kissing and touching each other.
Once they were in the house, Bryson locked the door behind them and pressed her up against the wall.
Lisa speared her fingers through his wavy brown hair and kissed him fervently. When Bryson’s huge hands stroked down her curves to cup her buttocks, Lisa arched her back and rubbed her aching, pebbled nipples against his broad chest.
“Lisa...” Bryson growled as he pushed her t-shirt up.
Unhooking her bra with one hand, he tugged her t-shirt and bra over her head and lowered his mouth to her heaving breasts. The feel of his teeth and tongue on her sensitive nipples made her shiver and cry out in ecstasy.
Bryson flicked his tongue over her hard, dark nipples and suckled her furiously.
Lisa panted as her core pulsed and ached maddeningly. Her wolf snarled and clawed at her.
More!
The consuming need and instinct to mate was driving her out of her mind. Bryson continued biting and licking at her breasts, making her pussy clench with want and anticipation.
She wanted to feel him deep inside her.
She needed him. Right now.
“Please...” she whimpered.
Bryson drew a ragged breath and stared into her eyes.
Without warning, he grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder.
His hands clamped over her buttocks possessively as he took the stairs three at a time. She squirmed when she felt the tips of his claws digging into her flesh.
The pinpricks of pain heightened her pleasure, and Lisa grew impossibly wetter.
Bryson strode into his bedroom and threw her onto his king-sized bed.
The feral glow in his eyes aroused her and pulled her wolf to the surface.
BEARly Bitten (Bear Bites Book 2) Page 5