“Julia, please. Don’t run.”
“Mike, I need to think about this. Before this I would have said yes in a heartbeat, but this is a little bit surreal to me and I need time to think. I will see you tomorrow.”
Julia was out the door before Mike could say anything else, and she ran the entire way home. She couldn’t talk about this with anyone, especially not Sarah whom she knew wouldn’t approve, yet she needed to either talk with someone or leave town to collect her thoughts. She suddenly remembered that John was leaving town the next morning, and the second she was inside she started packing. John had mentioned that he was packed and ready to leave, so he wouldn’t notice if she snuck into the back of his car and hitch hiked across the country with him. She could get out somewhere along the way and find a place to stay for a few days without anyone knowing where she was.
As soon as she was done packing, and before Sarah could come back from whatever date or one night stand she was on, Julia left for John’s house. She had written a note for Sarah to let her know not to worry, and to please let Mike know that she was taking a week off. Mike would know why she left, and she hoped Sarah would forgive her when she got back. She arrived at John’s just as the first sunlight was visible on the horizon and she quickly slipped into the back of John’s car. He drove an SUV and there was plenty of space back there for her without being seen, unless he opened the trunk, and still be fairly comfortable.
Fairly comfortable turned into fairly uncomfortable after several hours, and when John stopped for lunch she quickly got out of the car, slung her backpack over her shoulder and started walking. She had no idea where she was, or even what state she was in, but it looked like a small town which she preferred. Small town people were generally nice and welcoming, and life was cheaper. Julia wasn’t necessarily short on cash, but she didn’t want to splurge either so the first thing she did was find a small diner to eat lunch, hoping to find a place to stay afterwards.
“Passing through?” the waitress asked after coming up to her and filling her coffee cup while putting a menu in front of her.
“I just arrived and I’m hoping to stay about a week. This looks like a nice little town to relax for a bit.”
The waitress smiled and nodded. “It definitely is. Jotson is a small town, and we don’t get many visitors since there isn’t much to do, but if you are trying to get away from something or someone, it is perfect. I get off after lunch, and I can show you where to find the local bed and breakfast if you’d like? We don’t have a hotel but the bed and breakfast is run by Mr and Mrs Singer and they take excellent care of their guests.”
“That would be great, thank you. Anything you recommend on the menu?”
“The club sandwich is always good if you are looking for lunch. We are still serving breakfast as well so if you’d rather have that you can’t go wrong with some eggs, bacon and pancakes.”
Julia’s eyes lit up at that, and the waitress laughed. “My name is Erica by the way, and I can tell you want breakfast. I will let the chef know to make it extra good for you.”
When Erica came back with Julia’s food she also had an extra coffee cup and a pot of coffee which she placed on the table, before sitting down across from her. “My shift is basically over, they aren’t assigning me new tables and you are my only one. You looked like you could use the company.”
Julia took a bite of her pancakes, royally smothered in syrup, before answering. She let out a soft moan of indulgence while chewing, causing Erica to laugh. “Sorry, but it’s been entirely too long since I’ve had good pancakes. My compliments to the chef. And you are right, I could use the company.”
“Job, man or family?” Erica asked.
Julia laughed and shook her head. “I’m a bartender. That’s my job. And it’s a man who is also my boss.”
Erica joined in the laughed and refilled both their coffee cups, not asking further for a little while since Julia was eating. “I’m a terrible person. I’m Julia.”
“Nice to meet you Julia. You’ll love this place, and if you let Mr and Mrs Singer know that you don’t want to be found, nobody will reveal that you are here if said boss man comes looking for you. Does he know where you went?”
Julia shook her head. “I hitch hiked in the trunk of a friend’s car while he is on his way elsewhere. He didn’t even know I was there. I really do not want to be found until I have figured out what I want.”
“Well, I don’t work again until breakfast, so why don’t you get settled in at the bed and breakfast, and then I’ll take you to the local bar. You might be a bartender but I’m sure you enjoy being on the other side of the bar at times.”
“That sounds like an excellent plan. If you bring me the check I’ll pay for this so we can get going,” Julia said with a smile. She really liked Erica and had a feeling she was exactly what she needed to figure out this mess.
The bed and breakfast was in reality a large manor house with wrap around porch and Julia instantly loved it and its owners, Mr and Mrs Singer. “Oh you poor dear, we’ll make sure nobody disturbs you. Now I serve breakfast but if you want to chat and have dinner with us as well you just let me know, alright?” Mrs Singer said as she showed Julia up to her room.
“Thank you Mrs Singer. Erica is showing me around this afternoon and I’ll get something to eat while out but one day this week I’d love to spend time in your company.”
Three drinks into what was starting to turn into a drunken outing Julia finally opened up to Erica. “He asked me out, and let me tell you I really wanted to say yes. He is absolutely perfect, and highly protective which I like in a man. Then he tells me he is a lion shifter and turns into a lion right there in front of me! I freaked and ran.”
Erica smiled and nodded, calling the bartender for another drink. “We used to have a lion shifter right here in town, in fact, he still lives only one town over. Nicest guy I’d ever met, and highly protective of those he loved. It can be quite intimidating at first, but those who are lion shifters are fiercely loyal. You honestly can’t find a guy who would be more devoted to your happiness than him. This friend of mine, he once helped me when I was in a bad situation. After helping me out and making sure I was safe I got the scolding of my life for ending up in the situation to begin with, as it had really been my own fault, but I knew he would always be there for me no matter what.”
“He has offered to walk me home every night since he bought the club, and I’ve seen him following us to make sure we’re alright when I decline. I just didn’t know how to react and needed to get away to figure it out.”
“Completely understandable. Use this time to sort your feelings and if you need to talk, I’m here.”
“Thanks. Next round’s on me.”
While Julia was enjoying her time with Erica, Mike was interrogating Sarah without getting anywhere. “What do you mean you don’t know where she is? She can’t just disappear!”
“All I know is that she stayed behind to talk to you last night, and when I came home early this morning she was gone and so were some of her belongings and her backpack. She left a note that she needed some time to think and she’d be in touch. I don’t know what that means and she’s never disappeared like that. She didn’t take her cell phone with her, so there’s no way to contact her until she contacts us. What happened?”
“I asked her on a date and then told her something about myself that I felt she should know before agreeing to a date. It must have scared her because she practically ran out of here and disappeared. How could she have gotten out of town so fast?”
“Have you called John? He left town this morning, maybe he gave her a ride somewhere?”
Sarah had never seen a man move as fast as Mike did when he ran out of her apartment, down the stairs and down the road to places unknown. She had no idea why he didn’t just pull out his cell phone, but she had decided long ago that sometimes it wasn’t worth the effort to figure out what a man was thinking or doing.
Mike was
running down the street, trying to get to the club as fast as possible. He didn’t have John’s cell number programmed in his cell phone and belatedly realized that Sarah probably had it. The second he had looked it up he called, and almost sighed in relief when John answered on the third ring.
“Hi John, it’s Mike. Hey did you by chance give Julia a ride this morning?”
“I was wondering how long it would take someone to call. She clearly needed some space so I was waiting for someone to ask. She hitchhiked in my car, she was gone after I had stopped in a town called Jotson. I purposely stopped there as I know there’s another lion shifter there and you had told me you were telling her before asking her out, so I had a feeling that’s why she was running. Hopefully she’ll confide in someone and get another perspective on it.” John was one of the only people who Mike had told, as he had instantly taken a liking to the man and had trusted him fully with his secret. He had also inquired after Julia and after John had acted slightly protective of Julia Mike had realized that John was a lion shifter himself. John never transformed but he had the protective tendencies that Mike did, and after recognizing it in Mike he had known the club would be in good hands. It was actually what had pushed John to finally agree to the sale.
“How far away is this town?”
“About four hours. Look, give her at least another day to get her bearings, then go after her. You have to be patient with Julia, give her time to come to terms with everything. The only thing she has in life is her friends from the club, and she is terrified of ever losing that.”
“Alright, thanks. She’ll be safe there?”
“Yes. There is only one bed and breakfast in that town and it’s run by a Mr and Mrs Singer. I’ve stayed there multiple times, the lion shifter there and myself are old friends and I used to visit him regularly. I let him know Julia was there and her reason for being there before leaving town so she is being watched over. Mr and Mrs Singer know about lion shifters, Jason is their son.”
“Perfect. Thank you John, I owe you one.”
With that the conversation ended and Mike sank back into his chair in relief. Julia was safe and would be alright. He’d give her the night and go see her tomorrow afternoon, hopefully convincing her to come home with him.
He still held that hope when he arrived in Jotson the following afternoon, and spotted Julia on the porch of the bed and breakfast with an elderly lady, who he assumed was Mrs Singer. “Good afternoon ma’am, Julia. I merely came to make sure that Julia was alright.”
“I know about you,” Mrs Singer said with a smile. “You are just like Jason. Jason had breakfast here and had an enlightening talk with Julia. I’ll leave you two to talk, but I expect you to have a proper tea with me in an hour.”
Mike joined Julia on the porch swing and for the first ten minutes neither of them said anything. Finally Julia decided that they needed to talk instead of just sit there and she looked at Mike, trying to figure out if he was angry or not. “Are you angry?”
“I’m frustrated with you for leaving like that. I want nothing more than to scold you for doing something so reckless like hitchhiking in someone’s trunk but as we are not a couple, I’m not going to.”
“If we had been a couple, would I be in trouble?”
“Absolutely. I would have tracked you down the second I heard where you were and would have given you a very stern scolding about the danger you put yourself in before hugging you to death out of happiness that you were alright.”
“I like that.”
Mike looked at Julia, but Julia didn’t give anything away. “Explain. Please.”
“I spoke to Jason earlier, and based on your reaction you knew he was a lion shifter as well. He told me that lion shifters are incredibly protective and loyal, it’s in their blood. He also told me he had been told about you by John and that it sounded like I had acted rashly without really giving you a chance. I met Erica and she knows Jason and she told me that lion shifters aren’t bad people, just different. I had already decided to give you a chance, but I needed a little longer to get the courage to go back because I knew you’d be upset with me.”
“So you’ll go out with me?”
“Yes, I will. And if you need to yell at me I understand. I suppose I deserve it.”
“I will never yell. There is a difference between a stern scolding and yelling. I don’t want you to ever be afraid to come to me just because I might be upset. I will never hurt you in any way, and if I ever do something to upset you feel free to scold me right back. Of course once I’ve had you in the bedroom, I will torture you there afterwards.”
Julia flushed bright right and turned her head away from Mike, not wanting him to see it. He put a hand under a chin and turned her face back. “And don’t hide your beautiful blush from me. I’m not going to scold you this time, as long as you promise to talk to me instead of running next time?”
“I promise. I think we should go inside before Mrs Singer scolds both of us for missing tea.”
Chapter Five
“Mike, I’m leaving. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Julia said with a smile at the end of her shift. She knew that regardless of what she said, Mike would show up at her doorstep with food in the morning just to make sure she ate something. They had been back in town for a few days but had not gone on their date yet, mostly because she had to work every night. Instead of a date, Mike showed up at her apartment every day and they had brunch together after which he either had to go to work or they’d spend time together.
“Be careful walking home. I’d rather you waited for me,” Mike said, looking up from his computer.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve walked this a million times. Besides, Sarah is at home with the flu and I want to make sure she’s alright. Goodnight.”
Halfway home Julia felt a prickling in her neck, but when she looked around she didn’t see anything even though it felt like she was being watched. Not quite trusting it to be nothing she started walking faster when suddenly she was sideswiped into the grass by a strong, muscular man. The man did not speak a word, but Julia started fighting him immediately. She had stopped carrying a purse when she worked, not having a need for one as her ID fit in her pocket, so she didn’t have anything to hit the man with. “Let me go!” she yelled, continuing her struggles.
The man still didn’t speak, but instead started undoing the button on her jeans. Julia immediately knew he wasn’t after money and she found a renewed strength within herself to fight him off, even though she knew she was no match for him. Silently she wished she had waited for Mike, and secretly she hoped he had been following her like he had done many nights. She almost cried in relief when she found her freedom, not caring how it had happened. The man was on the ground next to her, and when she looked over she saw a large lion leaning over him, growling at him before giving Julia a penetrating look. Julia recognized him instantly, and also knew that the look meant to run for it, which she did without second thought.
After arriving at her apartment she collapsed on the couch, adrenaline rushing through her mixed with fear, and when the adrenaline started to wear off the fear took over. It didn’t take long before she was a sobbing mess, and when strong arms wrapped around her in a comforting manner she sank into them, sobbing her heart out.
“Shhh, it will be alright. I took care of it. I’ll always take care of you and protect you,” Mike said soothingly. His arms remained around Julia, knowing she needed the comfort. He motioned for Sarah to leave when she came to see what all the commotion was about, and was glad when she went back to her room.
Julia didn’t know why she was sobbing the way she was, and when she finally calmed down she was embarrassed for Mike to see her like that. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You were attacked, and if I hadn’t been there who knows what would have happened. I should not have let you leave on your own, and it won’t be happening again no matter how much you protest. I’m here, it will all be alright.”
“Is he
alive?” Julia asked in between hitched breaths.
Mike chuckled at the innocent question, knowing he must have looked like he could kill the other guy. “He is, but he’ll be sore for a good long while. Serves him right, attacking my woman like that. Are you alright?”
“I will be. Thank you,” Julia said with a smile, looking Mike in the eye for the first time. She realized suddenly that she had never felt as safe as she did at the moment and she felt like she should have always been in these strong arms. She reached up and gently kissed Mike on the lips, knowing that he had yet to kiss her as he didn’t want to pressure her into anything.
Apparently he enjoyed the kiss as he was suddenly leaning down, kissing her passionately. Julia leaned into the kiss, eager to take their relationship, or whatever they had, to the next level, and soon her hands were wandering all over his body. They found their way under his shirt and she tweaked one of his nipples which caused him to moan into her mouth. “Don’t start something you don’t want to finish.”
“Let’s take this to the bedroom and finish it then,” Julia said with a smile.
In one big swoop Mike had her in his arms and stalked to the bedroom, dropping her unceremoniously on the bed which had her giggling. The giggles stopped when Mike took off his shirt and she swallowed her throat suddenly dry. Mike wiggled out of his jeans and Julia almost came just looking at him in his tight boxers, erection obvious. Mike leaned over her and started kissing her again before trailing those kisses down her neck, undoing the buttons on her shirt as he went. When Mike pushed one of her bra cups down and trailed a tongue over her nipple she arched up and moaned loudly, causing Mike to smirk as he looked at her.
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