by Lola Gabriel
The only person who she kept in touch with from her old life was her father. Her mother had died when Rachel was in her early twenties, and she had no other family. Her dad traveled a lot, and they mostly communicated through emails and phone calls, something that had used to upset Rachel but she was now grateful for. She knew she would have to see him face to face at some point and come up with some explanation for her youthful looks, but she didn’t want to dwell on that. She would deal with it if and when it happened.
The door to the doctor’s office opened and Rachel glanced up. A woman was walking toward the window. She turned back to her screen, knowing it was Melanie’s turn to deal with the window. The woman sneezed and Melanie made a scared little squeaking sound.
“Will you take her?” she asked Rachel with a pleading expression.
Rachel laughed and nodded her head. Maybe a doctor’s receptionist wasn’t the best choice of career for her with her discomfort at discussing why she never got sick, but it was an even worse choice for Melanie, a self-confessed germophobe.
“Can I help you?” Rachel smiled at the woman.
“Yes. I’m here to pick up a prescription for my dad, Terrance Brown,” the woman said.
Rachel smiled and flicked through the signed prescriptions in the box. She found the right one and had the woman confirm Terrance’s address. She smiled and held the prescription out to her.
“Here you go,” she said.
The woman thanked her and left and Rachel turned back to Melanie.
“See? She wasn’t even sick. She was just collecting a prescription for her dad,” she said.
Melanie didn’t look convinced.
“She could still have a cold or something, you know. And if she didn’t when she came in, I bet she did by the times she left,” she said.
Rachel laughed and Melanie laughed with her.
“I know I’m crazy working here when I hate germs so much, but, I mean, no one really likes germs, do they?”
“No,” Rachel agreed.
“So, any plans for tonight? A hot date I should know about?” Melanie asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Fat chance of that,” Rachel said. “I’m going to grab some takeout and go home for a night of Netflix and chilling, where that actually means vegging out and watching TV.”
“Oh, but it’s Friday night,” Melanie protested. “Why don’t you come out for some drinks with me and Jo if you don’t have anything else planned?”
Rachel told her she would think about it, but she already knew she wouldn’t be going. The last time she had gone out with Melanie and Jo, she’d had a good time, but they had spent a large portion of the night talking to guys and flirting with them. Rachel hadn’t dated since the night she was turned into a bear shifter and she liked it that way. She still hadn’t figured out a way to have any sort of relationship with a guy with such a big thing hanging over her head, and she had no intention of seeking out other bears. The idea of cavorting with monsters who used women as breeding machines was too much to bear. She had had a few one-night stands, but they never really satisfied her and she had pretty much given up on those too.
By the time the office closed for the evening, Rachel was looking forward to a nice quiet few days to herself over the weekend. She figured she might go out and do a bit of shopping Saturday morning, but that was her only plan.
“So?” Melanie said as they grabbed their coats and handbags and headed out of the office. “Have you decided to come out with us tonight?”
“Maybe another time,” Rachel said.
“Boring,” Melanie said in a sing-song voice.
“Just tired,” Rachel laughed.
They locked up the office and headed for the parking lot.
“If you change your mind about tonight, just give me a call,” Melanie told her as she got into her car.
“Will do,” Rachel replied.
She got into her own car and put it into drive, pulling out of the parking lot and joining the flow of traffic. She debated where to go to eat and settled on the diner down the road from her. She could park the car at home and walk down to it and then maybe she could have a glass of wine with her food. Her mind made up, Rachel headed home. She parked and went inside, deciding that she might as well change out of her work clothes.
She went upstairs to the bathroom and brushed her teeth, and then went into her bedroom. She stripped off the black pants and white blouse and changed into a pair of denim leggings and a yellow tank top. She brushed her hair and reapplied her lipstick and then she grabbed her handbag from where she had slung it on the bed and went back out.
She arrived at the diner a couple of minutes later and ordered a cheeseburger and fries and a glass of red wine. She took a table by the window so that she could people-watch. She sat looking out into the street, watching the world go by. Her attention was caught by a door opening on one of the houses opposite the diner. A man stepped out and looked over toward the diner.
Rachel’s breath caught in her throat when she saw him. He was like perfection personified, she thought to herself. He was tall, easily six feet, and muscular, his shoulders broad and square. His dark hair was cut in a buzz cut that suited him, making his square jaw stand out. Even from across the street, Rachel could see how brilliantly green his eyes were. For a moment, it felt like he was looking right back at her, holding her gaze.
She felt her body come alive as she looked at the man, and she pressed her thighs together, feeling the delicious tingles spread through her center. Her nipples hardened beneath her top.
“Here you go, hon,” a voice said from beside her.
Rachel turned to see a waitress putting her wine and her food down on the table. She cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks turning pink at the thoughts she had been having about the man across the street. She knew it was crazy, but she somehow felt like the woman would know exactly what she was thinking.
“Thanks,” she managed.
The waitress flashed her a smile and moved away from her table. She picked a French fry up and looked back out of the window, but the man was gone. Feeling strangely empty now that he was no longer there, Rachel looked down at her plate. She looked up as the bell above the door tinkled, signaling someone was coming in. She audibly gasped when she saw the man from the street standing in the doorway to the diner.
2
Bastian Marlowe smiled at the man sitting opposite him. Brady was his go-to guy in Fredericksburg, keeping everything running smoothly for him as he was based in Houston and couldn’t get out to the smaller towns within his district as often as he would like to. As the alpha bear for District 212, it was important to him that every pack member was kept updated and in line, and thus, it was important to him to have people in each area whom he could trust. Brady had never let him down yet, and his relaxed manner now told him that wasn’t about to change.
“Would you like anything to drink or eat before we get started?” Brady asked.
“No, I’m good, thanks,” Bastian said.
He was a little bit hungry, but he was hoping to get this wrapped up quickly and be back on a plane to Houston within the next couple of hours. He would grab something at the airport.
“Okay,” Brady said. He looked down at a folder he had open in front of him on the table. “Did you get a chance to look over the financial reports I sent you?”
Every month, Bastian had his people in each area mail over a financial report for the pack members within their respective areas.
“I did. It looks like you’ve all had a good month up here,” he said.
“We have,” Brady agreed. “Simon has opened a new winery which has really boosted our earnings, and Fiona has just been promoted, so her salary has gone up too.”
“Anything going on with Lewis?” Bastian asked.
“There’s been nothing in the news to imply he’s been active. No local disappearances or anything, but then this area was never really his hunting ground,” Brady replied.
&
nbsp; “No, he mostly concentrated his efforts in Houston, but it always pays to be alert,” Bastian said.
“Indeed,” Brady agreed.
“Is there anything else of note?” Bastian asked.
“There is one thing,” Brady said. “Malcolm has met a girl. He’s confident she’s meant to be his mate. She knows he’s a bear and she’s had a test done. She carries the Sanmere protein in her blood and Malcolm would like permission to turn her and have her join the pack.”
Bastian sat up straighter, this bit of news piquing his interest much more than the numbers had.
“Have you met her?” he asked.
“Yes, a couple of times,” Brady said. “I like her. She’s levelheaded and she seems to have put some thought into the implications of immortality. From what I’ve seen, she’s genuinely in love with Malcolm.”
“Good,” Bastian said.
He had heard stories of human women who learned of the shifter world and went out of their way to meet a shifter just to gain immortality. Those stories never seemed to have a good ending, either bringing hunters or press attention when the girls turned and then couldn’t resist bragging about it to the wrong people.
“What do we know about her?” Bastian asked.
“She’s thirty-two, but obviously if she does turn, her genetics will revert back to those of a twenty-nine-year-old. She’s a surgeon at a local hospital and she volunteers for several charities,” Brady replied.
Bastian nodded thoughtfully. She sounded like she would be a good asset to the pack.
“I’m happy to authorize the turning and the mating assuming you don’t have any objections to it,” Bastian said.
“I don’t,” Brady confirmed. “I think she’ll be a good addition to the pack both personally and financially.”
“Right. That’s settled, then,” Bastian said. “Is there anything else to report?”
Brady shook his head.
“Good,” Bastian said. “There’s been rumors of a hunter in the Dallas area. As of yet, nothing had been confirmed and no deaths have been recorded in our pack or any of the other shifter packs in the area. Oscar is ahead of the situation and is taking proactive steps to confirm whether the rumors are true or not. It’s not something I’m worried about at this point, but just a heads-up to keep your eyes open. If there is some truth to the rumor and the hunter has gotten word that we’re aware of their presence, they may move on to another part of the state.”
“Noted,” Brady said. “I’ll keep my eyes and ears open as always.”
“Perfect,” Bastian said. “Now if there’s nothing else…?”
Brady shook his head and Bastian stood up and offered Brady his hand. Brady stood up quickly and shook his hand.
“I’m sorry that this is a quick visit this time, Brady, but I would really like to get back to Houston tonight,” Bastian said.
“No worries,” Brady replied with a smile. “I’m sure you have plenty of business to attend to.”
“As always,” Bastian smiled.
Brady began to move toward the door, but Bastian shook his head, smiling again.
“I think we’ve known each other long enough to ditch the formalities,” he said. “I can see myself out.”
“Have a safe flight,” Brady said, hanging back in the kitchen.
“Thanks. Take care, Brady, and remember, I’m only ever a phone call away if you should need anything,” Bastian replied.
The two men shook hands again and Bastian headed to the door. He checked his watch. He had an hour before he had to leave to catch his flight. He pulled the door open and closed it behind him. He glanced across the street and instantly, he felt his heart skip a beat and his cock start to twitch. His bear stirred inside of him.
In the diner across the road from Brady’s house was the most beautiful woman Bastian had ever seen. She had long, blonde hair, which she was wearing loose around her face. Her hair was straight and shiny and Bastian couldn’t help but imagine running his hands through it. She had a nice body, athletic and slim with big breasts.
Bastian’s eyes lingered on her breasts for a second and then they went back to her face. She wasn’t just pretty, she was beautiful, and Bastian knew he had to have her. For a second, as he looked at the woman, she caught his eye. Her eyes were ice blue, so intense in their color that he could make it out even from across the street. Bastian’s bear growled inside him as lust spread through his body.
The woman in the window turned away from him, breaking their eye contact, but Bastian was already hooked. He knew he wouldn’t be making that flight tonight, because all of a sudden, he was in the mood for a bite to eat in a diner.
He crossed the street and headed for the place. He opened the door and the woman glanced up as the bell above it tinkled and announced his arrival. Their eyes met again for a second and then the woman gave him a half-smile and looked quickly down at her plate, biting her bottom lip. Whatever this attraction was, she felt it too. Bastian could almost smell the lust coming off her as he crossed the diner and took the table beside hers.
He sat down, picking up the menu and studying it, determined not to look at the woman for a few minutes. He wanted to make her wait, wanted to make her want him more before he gave in and spoke to her. A waitress came by his table.
“Are you ready to order?” she smiled.
“I’ll take the grilled cheese and a large black coffee, please,” Bastian said.
She jotted it down on a notepad and called to the kitchen for the grilled cheese. She turned away from Bastian.
“Everything okay, hon?” she asked the beautiful woman.
“So… hot,” she stammered. Bastian couldn’t resist a glance at her and he rubbed a hand over his lips to hide his smile when he saw she was blushing. “I mean yes, everything’s great, thanks.”
The waitress wandered toward the kitchen looking amused. The woman looked up and caught him watching her, so he smiled.
“Is the food here any good?” he asked.
“Yeah, it’s nice,” she said and then turned to look out of the window.
Bastian grinned to himself again, not even bothering to hide it this time. She was going to play hard to get. That suited him just fine—he enjoyed the chase when he knew catching his target was a sure thing.
3
Rachel turned to look out of the window after telling the handsome stranger that the food in the diner was nice. She found him so attractive, and she felt strangely drawn to him. She could feel the lining of her panties getting wet just at the sound of his voice. Her reaction to him scared her a little bit, it was so intense.
She had been both pleased and nervous when he came into the diner and chose the table next to hers to sit down at. She was nervous because she was conscious of her no-dating rule, and having someone so hot beside her was making it harder to tell herself it was for the best. She couldn’t help but be happy that he was so close and that he had instigated a conversation with her. It had been obvious to her that he just wanted an excuse to speak to her. Who asks if the food is good in a place after they’ve already ordered?
“Are you from around here?” the man asked after she had been staring out of the window for a couple of seconds, fighting the urge to glance in his direction once more.
Now she had an excuse to turn back to him, telling herself it would be rude to ignore him and that was the only reason she was glancing back, not because she could hardly keep her eyes away from him.
“Yes, I live close by this place, actually,” she said. “You?”
“No, I’m not local. I live in Houston. I’m just here overnight for some business,” he replied.
That got Rachel’s attention. There was no harm in flirting with him, especially when she knew he was only here for one night. It wasn’t like she could get too attached to him or she would be deceiving him by not telling him her secret. On a one-night stand, there was so much left unsaid. It was practically a rule that you didn’t need to reveal too much of you
rself.
“What do you do?” Rachel asked.
“Oh, I manage people across the state,” the man replied. He smiled, an amused-looking smile that Rachel couldn’t quite understand. “I’m Bastian, by the way.”
“Rachel,” she replied.
“What about you, Rachel? What do you do?” Bastian asked.
The way her name sounded on his tongue made her ache for him. She wanted more than just her name on his tongue. She wanted him to lick her all over. She felt herself blushing, and she was glad when the waitress appeared at that moment with Bastian’s grilled cheese sandwich and his coffee. She took the moment she was given to compose herself and when the waitress left the table, she was back under control.
“I’m a receptionist at a doctor’s office,” she said. “It’s pretty dull most days but it pays the bills. And sometimes I get to meet some interesting characters.”
“Oh, I bet you do,” Bastian smiled. “Working with the public sure throws up some strange people, right?”
He laughed and his laugh was low and sexy. Rachel laughed with him and nodded her head.
“Oh, that’s for sure,” she replied. “Are you staying somewhere nearby?”
She cursed herself inside. It sounded like she was looking for an invitation back to Bastian’s hotel. If he extended an offer, she wouldn’t be in a rush to say no, but she hadn’t meant to be quite so forward.
“Actually, I’m not sure where I’m staying yet,” Bastian said. “I wasn’t planning on spending the night, but well, I saw something that made me maybe want to stay the night.”
Rachel felt herself blushing once more as Bastian looked into her eyes, charming her with his words. There was no doubt in her mind that he was talking about her. And there was no doubt in her mind that she was up for this. Saying yes to Bastian would have been hard if he had been local and she would have run the risk of seeing him again, but knowing this could only ever be a one-night thing and that she wouldn’t have to risk getting too close, she had no reason to turn him down and she knew she wouldn’t have the willpower to say no to him, even if she had wanted to.