Primal Attraction (Shadowlands Bear Shifters Book 2)

by Olivia Harp

  Primal Attraction

  By Olivia Harp

  This is a work of fiction. All characters and events reside solely in the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual people, alive or dead, is purely coincidental. All characters are eighteen years of age or older.

  © 2016, Olivia Harp. No portion of this work can be reproduced in any way without prior written consent from the author with the exception for a fair use excerpt for review and editorial purposes.

  This title is for adults only. It contains explicit sex acts, adult themes, and material that some folks might find offensive. Please keep out of reach of children.

  Table of Contents

  Primal Attraction

  Want to be in the Know?

  Primal Attraction

  Chapter 1

  Ike’s bar was packed to capacity, all the tables were occupied and the dance floor was full. It was hard enough to navigate on a regular Friday night, but tonight was insane.

  Music filled every corner of the place. People were getting into the flow of the night, smiles adorning their faces.

  Maverick Castle checked his phone for the third time that night, but there were still no new messages, he finished the last remains of his dark ale and ordered another one, the place was damn hot.

  “Wow, Mav! Are you trying to get dead drunk?” Ramona said as she picked up his glass.

  “You ever seen me drunk?”

  Ramona shook her head.

  “Never has happened, never will,” he said, “you should tell Ike to turn up the A/C, he wants us to dehydrate or something?”

  “Oh, you know how he is. He probably does this on purpose so people buy more drinks.”

  “Is that even legal?”

  She shrugged, “do you want another one?”

  Mav looked at her and nodded. Damn, the idea works.

  “Yes, another pint please.”

  “I’ll be right back,” she said with a wink, disappearing into the crowd.

  The bar was huge: dozens of high tables, five VIP areas, complete with sofas and special lamplights, and a big dance floor. The DJ was mixing classic pop songs with electronic beats. This is getting good, the guys better be here soon.

  He’d picked the bigger VIP spot, the one in the corner of the club. From there he could clearly see everything that happened inside.

  He promised himself he wouldn’t go with anyone tonight. Tonight is guy’s night out. But what about the college girls sitting near the entrance? They looked damn good. Keeping his promise was going to be hard, but he was sure he could handle it.

  A girl sitting at the table next to his turned and checked him out so blatantly he almost laughed, her eyes were like a predator’s. She was obviously from Rosenberg: classically beautiful, blonde, curvy and with a breathtaking smile. She was waiting for him to approach her. Gosh. I better not, Rosenberg girls are not just looking to hook up, they’re looking for a husband. The girl turned to him again, smiled and lowered her eyes. She was beautiful. No, man. Avoid serious relationships at all costs. Control yourself.

  “Hey! Maverick,” a soft voice said behind him. He turned around and Jessica was there. She was a gorgeous redhead, wearing tight jeans and a matching half open plaid shirt, breasts pressed tight against it.

  She was with someone tonight, a tall, kind of skinny mustached guy. He seemed like a nice person.

  “I haven’t seen you in a while!” she said, “How have you been? I was hoping I’d see you here!”

  Maverick smiled and shook the guys hand, she gave him a little hug and a peck on the cheek.

  “Everything’s good, Jessica, you?”

  “I’m great!” she said leaning to him, casually grazing her chest against his arm.

  “This is Albert, a friend of mine” she continued.

  Albert smiled dryly, he wasn’t mean, he just seemed uncomfortable.

  “Hey, man.”

  Where was Ramona? Maverick needed that beer right now, anything else to focus on instead of Jessica, maybe she’d get the hint that way.

  He didn’t want to pity the poor guy she snatched from somewhere just to bring him over and try to make Maverick jealous.

  “Are you alone?” she said.

  “I’m waiting for Enzo and the guys, they should be here any moment now.”

  “Oh well, we’ll be over there,” she said, pointing to a small table next to the window, “in case you want to dance or anything.”

  “What about Albert?”

  “Oh no!” she said, “Albert doesn’t dance, he’s into rock and roll and that kind of stuff.”

  “I actually do dance—” Albert said.

  “Yeah I’ve heard that one before,” she said and let out a screechy laugh, Albert looked at Mav, he knew what was going on.

  “Looks like your friends are here!”

  Maverick saw them too. Enzo, Raiden and Franklin. The crew finally arrived, they took their time, though. They were the White Paws, the most powerful bear shifter crew in the country. Only Damien, their alpha, stayed back on the mountain.

  “Anyway,” Jessica continued, “we’re off, text me some time!”

  They left, making their way through the multitude.

  He waved at the crew until they saw him and waved back. Bear shifters were big and strong, people moved out of their way to let them through. Not that anyone knew what they were, though.

  Wait, what? He saw Ramona too, serving drinks at another table. Darn, I better get the beer myself, I don’t think she’ll bring it here any time soon.

  “Hey man! You’ve been here for a while?” Enzo said, arriving.

  “Yes, I’ve been here a while, what took you guys so long?”

  “Franklin. Always Franklin,” Raiden said.

  Franklin shrugged, smiling.

  “I was busy!”

  “Yeah busy how?” Raiden said, “playing that Warcraft game again?”

  “You throwing shade on Warcraft? Man, I’m top tier now!”

  “You see?” said Raiden.

  Raiden was the biggest, toughest bear Mav had ever seen. Almost seven feet tall, muscles so big Mav didn’t know where he found the clothes he wore.

  He was kind of a hipster, though he denied it. He was big and tough and never shied away from a fight, but he was also into design, architecture, gardening, all kinds of weird stuff. It took a lot of convincing, but after Zoe, his alpha’s mate, said she had no problem babysitting his six–year–old daughter, he had no excuses left.

  “The new hardware the suits sent us took a little longer to set up than I planned,” Franklin said, “that’s why I was late.”

  Maverick laughed, “Damn it man, I always tell you, ‘dress to impress’, how do you expect a girl to pay attention to you if you look like a programmer?”

  “I am a programmer, dumbass,” Franklin said.

  “I know,” he said, teasing Franklin, “I ordered a beer, but I guess I better go get a full round for everyone, Ramona looks pretty busy.”

  “Sure, we’ll wait,” Raiden said.

  He left their table and made his way to the bar. Ike liked helping his bartenders on nights like these. The music was getting louder, and he —at last— turned on the bigger A/C units. The night was just beginning.

  “Hell man, do you want everyone here to suffocate or what?” Mav told him.

  Ike was a middle aged man, a Gulf War veteran. Rugged but very social. He opened a small liquor store on the outskirts of Rosenberg at the end of the nineties, then added a bar for walk ins and truck drivers who didn’t want to get a full bottle. A few years later the whole place had mutated, grown and turned
to a full blown bar. It wasn’t until he threw a Halloween party one night when he found his market. The man wasn’t even into this kind of music, he was a metal head, “but money talks,” he’d always say.

  “Why would you say that?” Ike said faking innocence.

  “Yeah, yeah, pretend you don’t know.”

  Ike laughed.

  “How are you Mav?”

  “I’m good, man, you? I need four pints of brown ale, please.”

  “Sure,” Ike said, grabbing the glasses from beneath the bar and filling them with that blend.

  Mav looked around, he wanted to dance but it’d have to wait, and the night was young. He could be patient.

  “Here you go,” Ike said as he poured the last glass, “oh, by the way, Tanya was looking for you.”

  “Was she?” he said taking a sip of beer, “that’s good I guess.”

  “You mother fucker, how does it feel, huh?”

  “How does what feel?”

  “How does it feel to even consider saying no to that bombshell? I’ve known people who’d kill for that!”

  Maverick laughed.

  “I don’t know, feels normal, I guess.”

  “Get the hell outta here! You don’t want the twins; you don’t want Jessica—”

  “I don’t want Jessica or anyone else right now because they all want to settle down!”

  “Maybe that’s what you need, married life isn’t so bad.”

  “Really, how many times you’ve married now? Three?”

  “Four and a half. I’ve been with Stella for six years but we’re not married.”

  “And you’re trying to give me advice on marriage?”

  “Listen, I love this place, you know I do. But there’s nothing like spending a quiet Friday night watching movies with a woman you love.”

  Mav grabbed the beers and shook his head.

  “Man, there’s no girl alive that can turn me into a boring old man like you.”

  Chapter 2

  More than fifty people lined outside Ike’s Bar, the bouncer checked ID’s and let people in little by little.

  “The place is full, you’ll have to wait a while,” he said to a couple.

  Faith Donovan walked directly to the entrance, covering her face from the parking lot’s dust as it hit her on the side.

  The music reached her through the rattling windows.

  She was glad that this was Rosenberg’s most popular night club. It was a half-hour drive away from the small town. She liked being around people—not that she went out a lot, anyway—but minimizing interactions was a priority.

  Having friends was difficult. You could get sloppy, too. Friends call and text and want to meet for a myriad of things. That was a sure way to fuck things up. She just liked the loud music, and the occasional talk with a stranger.

  She smiled and headed to the entrance, where the tall, heavy bouncer talked through his ear piece. He was dressed to impress, as if he needed that. Looking at this three hundred and fifty pound, broad shouldered, bald black guy definitely sent a message to everyone coming in: “be cool or else.”

  She didn’t stop, her eyes fixed on him. He felt her gaze on him and turned to her. He smiled wide, a gold tooth adorning his pearly white teeth. He would be easy to deal with.

  “I’m gonna have to ask you to get on the line, we’re at full capacity, miss,” he said.

  She poked inside his head, just a little tingle, testing the waters.

  There he was.

  Full of stress, a complicated life, he had a wife and two kids, worked three jobs. He was tired but you couldn’t tell by how he looked. He was doing his best to stay afloat.

  He wouldn’t be able to resist her much.

  “I have to get in, now,” she said.

  He let out a sarcastic laugh and looked at her.

  “I told you we’re—” that was it. He finally looked her in the eyes. She expended a bit of her power and sent a suggestion to him. A little, harmless one: “you have to let her in.”

  “Maybe you should check the guest list? I’m sure you’ll find me there.”

  The man pulled up a clipboard and leafed through the papers on it, nodding.

  “I can’t find your name.”

  “Of course you can’t, I haven’t told you. I’m the first one on the list.”

  A big smile adorned his lips, as if he’d just found the solution for a quiz that had been tormenting him for days.

  “Oh yes! Here you are! I’m sorry Mister Hendrik, here you go.”

  He opened the door for her and all her senses were suddenly flooded.

  Sound came from every direction: music, laughter, belching, she could hear everything. She focused on the beat, beat, beat of the song that was playing and went inside. The neon lights and smell of alcohol bathed her. She was already having fun.

  The heat was unbearable. The dance floor was full, the smell of sweat immediately attacked her nostrils, almost making her gag. Focus on something else, focus on something else. She always forgot to tone down her senses, I should’ve learned by now. She laughed. Everything was fine again.

  “Hey, darling, what’s up?” a young, well–built man said.

  He was half drunk, slurring his words.

  “You’re here alone?” he continued, “you wanna have some fun?”

  The group he was with let out a big laugh, all of them young men in their mid to late twenties.

  “No, thanks,” she said and stepped away, but the man yanked her arm.

  “Hey, hey, you don’t have to be such a bitch, I was just asking a question.”

  She yanked back but he didn’t release her, he was as strong as he looked.

  Her self–defense instincts flared up, she wanted to break this guy’s nose right there and then, but she remained as calm as possible. She wasn’t about to start a fight and end the night this quickly.

  “I said no, asshole. Let go!”

  ***

  Maverick couldn’t take his eyes off of her from the moment she came in. Who was she? He’d never seen her before. Not here, not in Rosenberg, not anywhere. The girl walked as if she owned the place. That made him laugh. She had a gothic–ish slash hipster look that contrasted heavily with the more fashionista setting she was in: denim shorts over black semi–transparent tights, a long necklace with a ruby pendant highlighted her neck, and finally, a black, loose tank top, with a blue pashmina over her shoulders.

  He smiled. Now there was a woman who was sure of herself. At least sure enough to wear what she liked instead of the typical flannel shirt that was on fashion right now. Or maybe he was just making up an excuse to like her.

  She was popular though, she hadn’t walked two steps in when a man talked to her. She seemed distant, probably didn’t know him. Her face said everything that needed to be said. Okay. She’d ignore the guy and then he’d make his approach. He could wait, no rush.

  “Anyone there? Maverick!” he heard a girl say and turned. It was the twins, a couple of spoiled, rich girls from town. Her father had been Rosenberg’s mayor a few years ago, and now focused on his business.

  “Welcome back to Earth” Maggie giggled, looking towards the entrance, “are you with that girl?”

  “Which girl?” Mav said.

  “Well, that girl, the one who made you drop your jaw to the floor, obviously.”

  Her sister, Megan, laughed hard.

  “We’ve been waiting for you to call us—”, she said.

  “And you know how we don’t like waiting,” Maggie said, suddenly grabbing her sister by the neck licking her earlobe.

  Megan laughed hard and pushed her away, “not here, dumbass, do you want everyone in here harassing us all night?”

  “What, you mean they don’t want to take us home already?”

  Mav turned to the hipster girl again, tuning them out. The man held her by the arm and she looked very uncomfortable. Shit, time to act.

  Megan was still talking, “so, we’re cool if you want to do so
mething after—”

  “Sorry ladies,” he said, and bolted towards the entrance as fast as he could, shuffling through everyone.

  It took him seconds to reach the woman.

  “You treat a man like that and you could get in trouble, bitch,” he heard the asshole say.

  People around weren’t aware of what was happening. The guy’s friends were smiling, probably normal behavior for them. The man was two heads taller than her, and more than double her weight.

  He’d have to save her, be the hero. What an awesome way to meet someone.

  Then, just as he was about to step in, the woman calmly took the man’s hand away from her arm and clenched it hard enough for the guy to squeal loudly.

  People around the table turned but paid no real attention, the music, the heat, the alcohol was hitting them hard now, they didn’t come here for drama.

  “I told you to let me go, asshole,” she said.

  She compressed his hand, his face a picture of pain.

  Her voice was firm, his friends began to notice what was happening and stood up from their chairs, indignation and violence in their faces.

  “Let go!” the idiot yelled. Two of his friends jumped towards her, but she released Idiot Guy’s hand and he twitched it back, rubbing his hand.

  “Who do you think you are?” Idiot Guy said, “you think I won’t hit you?”

  His friends stepped forward, menacingly. The girl looked unfazed. This was trouble. Were they going to start a fight... against a girl, in a crowded night club?

  “You can try to,” she said.

  “Hey, there you are!” Mav said, giving her a quick, impersonal hug, “I’ve been waiting for you!”

  She didn’t have time to think, lost in confusion.

  “Hey fellas,” Mav said to Idiot Guy and his friends, “how you doin’?”

  “Who are—” the woman said.

  “—Who the fuck are you?” Idiot Guy said, still massaging his hand.

  Mav turned to the girl, ignoring him.

  “I’m at the bar, you wanna come?” he said, all serious.

  Everything was happening too fast, her face was a question mark.

  “I’m not gonna hit on you, I promise, let’s just avoid a fight or whatever you have going on here.”