by Kim Fox
The mean-looking guy with the goatee and lazy eye was leaning against the doorway staring at them with an accusing look on his face.
“Amanda this is Matteo,” Beckett said. “He’s second in charge here.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said, walking over with her hand out.
Matteo spat on the ground and turned away, leaving her standing there with her hand out.
two
Beckett rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans as he showed Amanda to the campfire. He liked her already; the way she took charge and told him that she was going to fix the airplane, rather than ask for permission. She had a confidence about her that Beckett found irresistible. His bear did too. He had been purring ever since she touched his arm, which sent shock waves through his body.
He walked to the campfire beside her feeling weightless. She actually seemed turned on that he was a shifter. What a relief that was.
The crew stood up from their chairs as they approached. Beckett glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She was so beautiful. Actually beautiful wasn’t the word. It wasn’t enough. She was the center of the universe. A bright light that left everything around it dark. He couldn’t stop staring at her.
She had long, wavy blond hair that flowed in the wind and bounced off her shoulders, green eyes that seemed to pierce through him to his soul, and pink, full lips that curled into the most knee-weakening smile that he had ever seen. One tooth on the side of her mouth was crooked slightly. On anyone else it would’ve been a flaw but on her it was the final stroke of the paintbrush that made a canvas into a timeless masterpiece. It added character and charm and Beckett loved it.
“Which one of you knuckleheads is Finch?” Amanda asked as they approached the boys.
“Me,” Finch said, scratching his gray hair.
She took a step towards him. “What the hell did you do to my plane?”
Quint laughed.
Amanda turned towards the chuckle. “Why are you wearing a scarf?” she asked.
“Ha!” Keene laughed. “I told you! No one wears scarves.”
“Fine,” Quint said, unraveling the scarf from around his neck. “It’s too hot anyways.” He tossed it into the fire.
“Maybe Finch can use it to tie the wing to the plane,” Amanda teased.
The crew laughed, including Finch and Quint. Beckett was happy with his decision. She seemed like she was going to fit right in.
Beckett caught Matteo’s eye. He wasn’t laughing.
Keene held an Adirondack chair out for Amanda and they all sat down around the campfire. She crossed her legs and Beckett’s fingertips tingled with the need to touch her. She was a full-figured woman with a shapely body, just the way he liked it. Her chest was busty and her hips curvy. He pried his eyes off of her and forced himself to stare at the fire. He didn’t want to look too obvious. Especially with Matteo staring him down, judging every move.
Everybody did their introductions as Sander flipped the steaks on the grill over the campfire.
“What are you cooking?” Amanda asked.
“Elk steaks,” he replied.
“You’re in for a treat,” Keene said. “Sander is the fifth best cook in the camp. It goes me, then Beckett, then Ellis, then that tree and then Sander.”
Sander shot Keene a look. “Please excuse my barbarian friends,” he said to her. “They don’t know haute cuisine. I studied under a master chef in my youth.”
They all burst out laughing. “Chuck,” Ellis said. “A master chef? I think standing over that campfire all day has cooked your brain.”
Beckett leaned towards Amanda. “Chuck is the cook at the diner in town.”
“Is he any good?” she asked.
“Not unless you like your food frozen or charred,” he said. Amanda smiled at him, flashing her crooked tooth and Beckett couldn’t help but smile back.
“It’s going to be so nice to have another woman around here at the camp,” Alexi said. She was sitting on his younger brother, Ellis’ lap. “There’s so much testosterone around here you’d think you were in a football locker room.”
“Do you live here?” Amanda asked.
“I have a place in town but sometimes I stay here with Ellis” she said, rubbing his arm. “I work in the diner in town.”
Quint came over with a ceramic jug full of his homemade wine and a handful of wine glasses. He handed one to Amanda first. She smiled at him as he filled it with the thick, dark liquid.
“Oh no thank you,” Alexi said, waving the glass away as he offered it to her. “I uh…have to drive.” He furled his brow and turned to Beckett.
“A little bit,” Beckett said, taking the cup. Quint poured it to the rim.
Beckett held it to his nose and sniffed. He held in a cough as his eyes watered and his sinuses cleared. The inside of his nose was tingling. Quint’s wine could unclog a sink. It could also be used as degreaser or gasoline and possibly even napalm.
Beckett took a small sip and watched Amanda, as the wine lit fire to his throat on the way down.
Amanda took a big, long sip, emptying half her glass. Beckett’s mouth dropped as he watched her.
“Delicious,” she said, holding up her glass for a refill. Everybody stared at her in shock. Quint had the biggest smile that Beckett had ever seen on his face. She took another long sip.
“Wait. You actually like it?” Finch asked looking stunned.
She nodded as Quint poured her more.
“Nobody likes it,” Ellis said. “Where did you learn to drink like that?”
“I’m a pilot,” she said, taking a sip. “We fly like birds but we drink like fishes.”
“Wow now that’s a real woman,” Ellis said looking at her in awe.
“Excuse me?” Alexi said, whipping her head around and shifting away from him.
“Huh?” Ellis muttered, confused. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Alexi said, as cold as an icicle. She stood up and stormed off to her cabin.
“Great job lover boy,” Keene said. “You are a walking manual of how not to talk to women.”
Ellis looked around confused. “What?” he said opening his palms. “She said nothing was wrong.” It had been about a month since Ellis and Alexi had been mates and he was still as clueless about the opposite sex as the first time he saw her.
“Ellis,” Amanda said. “The speed in which a woman says nothing after asked what’s wrong, is directly proportional to the severity of the coming storm.”
“Just go apologize,” Beckett said.
“But I didn’t do anything wr-”
“That’s an order.”
Ellis stood up and followed her into the cabin shaking his head.
It was part of the alpha’s job to smooth out any arguments and keep cohesion in the group. It was not the first time that Beckett had to pull rank on his little brother after he said something stupid to his mate.
“Steaks are ready,” Sander said proudly.
Beckett cringed as he glanced at the dried up, black steaks.
“You burnt them,” Keene complained.
Sander picked one up with his fingers and it was as stiff as a charcoal briquette. “Maybe I left them on for a little too long.”
Keene shook his head slowly. “They’re both well done and not well done at the same time.”
Amanda grabbed the tongs and picked up the burntest, blackest steak. “Dibs on this one.”
The guys all stopped and stared at Beckett. As alpha he always had first choice, followed by Matteo. “Good choice,” Beckett said. He grabbed a steak off the grill and escorted her to the table. A faint growl came from Matteo. Beckett ignored it.
Two picnic tables were placed side by side with a blue table cloth on them and their fanciest plates, which were chipped and stained, and their best silverware, which was bent and spotted. Beckett had never even given them a second glance before, but now he was embarrassed. I’ll get some new dinnerware the next time I’m in town.
&nb
sp; Amanda placed her steak on a plate and sat down in the middle of the table. “Are you going to sit beside me?” she asked, looking up at him with a smile. As alpha he normally sat at the head of the table but he couldn’t deny that smile. He sat down next to her and she shifted closer to him. Her thigh rested against his and his breath caught in his throat.
The guys joined them around the table leaving his seat at the head empty. “I guess I can expect to eat a high protein diet around here?” she asked, looking around at the guys. They were big, burly men and even Beckett thought they looked funny squeezed together into the picnic tables, fighting for elbow space.
“Do you want a salad or something?” Beckett asked. There was a grocery store about a fifteen minute drive away. “I can get you some veggies.” He stood up ready to leave.
Amanda touched his arm. “This is great.”
Matteo was watching him out of the corner of his eye as he sat back down. That was a bit too eager.
Quint stood up and walked around the table trying to fill up wine glasses. Keene placed his hand over his glass and Finch took his away, shaking his head. Amanda held hers up. Quint smiled and filled it to the rim.
Beckett bit into his steak and nearly broke a tooth. He nodded at Sander who was waiting for his reaction. Sander smiled in relief.
“So you guys jump out of planes into forest fires?” Amanda asked before putting a piece of steak into her mouth.
“Not into the fire,” Beckett said. “On the outside.”
“Still,” she said, taking a sip of wine. “That’s pretty ballsy. Are you all bear shifters?”
Matteo dropped his fork on his plate. Everybody froze and stared at her, then turned to Beckett.
Beckett looked down at his plate, feeling his cheeks redden. It was wrong of him to have told her. She wasn’t part of the crew and there was no telling what she would’ve done. He had only known her for about ten minutes but he felt like he knew her forever. His bear had recognized her as the one and it just kind of came out.
“You told her?” Matteo asked through a clenched jaw.
“She knew,” Beckett said. “She was raised in Montana. She has met bear shifters before. Right Amanda?”
Amanda nodded. “Oh yeah tons,” she said, trying to recover. “I think it’s cool. And don’t worry I would never tell anyone.”
Matteo pushed his plate into the middle of the table with a clang and sprung up from his seat. “I can’t believe this,” he hissed. He stared Beckett in the eye as he pulled his leg out from the picnic table. He cursed under his breath and stormed off into the forest squeezing his hands into fists.
“What’s his problem?” Amanda asked when he disappeared into the trees.
“Not sure,” Keene said. “We sent him to therapy but his therapist hung himself ten minutes into the session.”
“He’s not so bad once you learn to completely ignore him,” Finch said.
“More wine?” Quint asked.
Beckett said nothing. Matteo was right to be mad. He never should have told her. Is this why the elders warn against taking a mate? Am I already slipping?
Beckett flinched as he felt a foot rubbing against his leg under the table. He moved his leg over, giving Amanda more room, but the mischievous foot found his leg once again. She rubbed her toe up his calf as she joked around naturally with the guys.
Beckett couldn’t focus on the words. He was busy trying to control his breathing and trying to look normal.
A low rumble escaped from his chest. His bear was loving the physical contact. Sander glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. Beckett looked down and cut his steak.
I probably should have hired a male pilot.
He felt a hand rest on his thigh and every nerve in his body sprung to life.
I definitely should have hired a male pilot.
Amanda sipped on the horrible wine as the guys cleared the table and started the dishes. They refused to let her help. She was starting to like it here. She was surrounded by hot men who cooked, cleaned and got her drunk. It was definitely better than her last job.
“Do you want me to show you your cabin?” Beckett asked. She looked at him and bit her bottom lip. The things that she would do to him. She giggled. Too much wine.
“Yes, but I don’t want to leave the party just yet. Let’s go sit by the fire.”
She got up from the table and walked with Beckett to the campfire. He placed his hand on her lower back as he guided her to a chair.
“How come you get out of having to do the dishes?” she asked, as she sat down.
He sat down in the Adirondack chair next to hers and turned his body towards her. “I’m the alpha of the crew. It comes with some perks.”
“Alpha,” she repeated, leaning towards him. “Will you show me your bear?”
Beckett laughed. “No. You don’t want to see that.”
She lowered her voice and parted her legs slightly. “Yes I do.” She placed her hand on his. “If you show me yours I’ll show you mine.”
Beckett’s face turned red and he looked away shyly. But he didn’t move his hand. It was exciting to make this alpha male, her boss and this dominant bear shifter blush. The wine was making her bold and pushing her further than she should have gone.
Beckett’s hot brother with the blond hair and sexy eye patch, Ellis, and his girlfriend, finally came out of their cabin holding hands. Beckett pulled his hand away and sat straight in his chair as they joined them by the campfire. Amanda was annoyed at the interruption and feeling mischievous from the wine.
“Everything okay Ellis?” Amanda asked with a grin.
“It was just a misunderstanding,” Ellis said. He held Alexi’s hand and gazed into her eyes. “We talked it out.” He gave her a kiss on the lips.
“I dated a high maintenance guy once,” Amanda said, eying Alexi. “I know what you’re going through.”
Alexi ground her teeth together and stared her down. “Still drinking Amanda?” she asked. “Good for you. I love your free spirit. I know I would never have the courage to get drunk on my first day on the job.”
Amanda downed the last bit of wine in her glass. “Well I’m sure it takes all of your wits and intelligence to be a waitress in a diner. What if you get someone’s breakfast order wrong?”
Amanda held her glass up and called over Quint. He came running with the ceramic jug. The wine was horrible. Disgusting actually. But it was wine.
Quint smiled as he poured her a glass. He was gorgeous. All of the guys were. Quint had a long beard with long, slicked back hair on top of his head, with the sides shaved. He had tattoo sleeves on both arms and wore a wooden necklace and wooden earrings.
Amanda leaned back in her chair as Quint returned to the dishes. She looked up at the darkening sky and breathed in the fresh air. The sounds of the night were starting to awaken as crickets and toads made their voices heard.
“So Amanda,” Alexi said. “How long have you been flying planes?”
“Since I was twenty one.”
Alexi smiled wickedly. “So about fifteen, twenty years?”
Amanda didn’t like this bitch. “Only five. I’m twenty six.”
Alexi pretended like she was in shock. “Oh I’m sorry. I thought you were a lot older.”
Amanda stared Alexi in the eyes but spoke to Beckett. “It’s getting really cold out here,” she said. “I think I’m ready to see my cabin.” She had a long day of flying and the wine was starting to hit her. Plus she wanted to get up early enough to fix the airplane so that she could fly it in the afternoon.
She thanked the guys for dinner and wished them all a goodnight. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Amanda said as she walked past Ellis and Alexi cuddling.
“Can’t wait,” Alexi said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
Amanda was about to retort when Beckett cupped her lower back with his hand. She let him guide her to her cabin instead.
The cabin was tiny but cute. And it was close to Beckett. Ama
nda approved.
Beckett opened the door for her. The wine was going to her head and all she wanted to do was make this alpha in front of her do whatever she asked. Whatever she desired.
“Are you going to come tuck me in?” she asked.
Beckett rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously. “I don’t think I should,” he said. He looked over her shoulder towards the guys.
“You see that’s where you’re wrong Mr. Alpha,” she said, stepping towards him. “You should.” She grazed her breast against his muscled arm and placed her lips an inch from his ear. “You really, really should.”
A low purring sound rumbled from his chest and every muscle in Amanda’s pussy clenched.
“I like that sound,” she said, touching his chest. “I think your bear likes me. I think your bear wants to come inside and tuck me in.”
The rumble came again, only louder this time. Amanda’s pussy tingled. She swallowed a moan wondering what it would be like to be with a bear. Would he be ferocious in bed?
Beckett’s whole body was stiff. “I have to go,” he said and raced away.
Amanda was left at the door rejected and cold. She shook her head, stepped inside and passed out on the bed.
Beckett raced away from Amanda’s cabin with every ounce of strength that he had. All he wanted to do was pick her up, run into the cabin, rip off every shred of her clothing and have his way with her.
This was even worse than he imagined.
And his bear wasn’t helping. He seemed to already have bonded with her and was trying desperately to make Beckett claim her as a mate.
He ran behind the airplane hangar and leaned against the siding, rubbing his forehead. His bear raged inside him. I never should have brought her here.
It wasn’t just his bear. He wanted to go inside with her. He wanted to kiss her.
What do I do now?
A familiar smell traveled in on the wind and Matteo walked towards him, out of the dark.
“She has to go,” he said.
Beckett knew that he was right. But how could he let her go?
“Your bear has recognized her hasn’t he? As his mate?” Matteo placed his hand on his shoulder. “I know it’s lonely. Believe me I know. But an alpha can’t have a mate. It doesn’t work. It never works. You’ve seen it. I don’t have to tell you.”