by Vivian Arend
They untangled themselves, taking turns to slide under the water one last time to rinse. Justin found them towels, and they dried off in companionable silence.
Mandy caught him by the hand and led him into the bedroom, tugging him to the mattress and under the covers before he could protest.
“You said Cole and Caden would track our visitors, yes?”
He nodded slowly.
Mandy stretched her arms and let a yawn escape, smiling again as his gaze lingered on her naked breasts. She curled herself against him and pulled the covers up to their chins. “Then we let them track. I want a nap.”
“But I should—”
“—wanna nap with you.”
Her decisive statement was enough to stop him in his tracks, and suddenly she was surrounded by a hot, naked bear-shifter of extraordinary size.
The sheets were silky soft, his arm under her head was rock solid, but the hand draped over her belly touched her skin with the most delicate of strokes as she let the fears and excitement of the day carry her off into slumber.
Justin lay wrapped around perfection and wondered what the hell he’d been thinking.
He hadn’t been thinking, or at least not with his big head, from the instant he’d gotten her naked. Or even before—
Yet after her decisive reminder that they were safe, he let his self-flagellating thoughts go and instead savoured the warmth of being tangled with her.
Justin actually fell asleep, waking as she stretched lazily against him, her smooth skin sliding over his then away far too quickly as she rolled from the bed and disappeared into the bathroom.
He dressed then headed to the kitchen to wait for her to reappear.
Mandy joined him only a minute or two later, dressed to go out. “I’m hungry. Want to go back to NLT?” She paused, wrinkling her nose in the most adorable manner. “If you think it’s safe.”
“Out of all the places we could go, that’s one of the safest,” he admitted.
She held his hand the entire trip, the tall street lamps brightening their route. He expected her to glance around nervously, but she marched with confidence at his side, asking non-stop questions about his job, and his place in Yellowknife where he lived most of the time, working with Tyler.
Instead of him distracting her from the unknowns of the day, she was in complete control. In fact, whatever magic she was using, during the short walk she managed to get him to spill the beans and share a secret about his boss.
He pulled open the door at NLT as Mandy laughed behind her hand. “And Tyler’s never eaten them since?”
Justin shook his head and guided her toward a side booth. “Who knew too many malted milk chocolates could have that effect on a big guy like him?”
He lifted her to the seat, stepping back rapidly as she scowled then swatted at him. “You need to stop throwing me around like a sack of potatoes,” she complained.
“I like carrying you.” He just grinned harder as he dodged the flimsy napkin she tossed in his direction.
Justin seated himself so he could see the door, back on guard.
It wasn’t unexpected. Nadia showed up at their table about thirty seconds after the waitress had taken their order.
She eyed them both. “Troubles, kids?”
“No trouble.” Justin stared her down, not willing to admit anything if he didn’t have to. Besides, he wasn’t really lying—there was no trouble currently happening, at that moment, in that location.
Nadia raised a brow but didn’t say anything specifically judgmental.
In fact, she turned to Mandy and offered a welcoming smile. “If you’re hanging around town for a while, pop in on Thursday night. That’s ladies night. And line dancing.”
Mandy’s eyes lit up. “If someone can teach me—I’ve never done that before.”
“Of course.” Nadia caught her by the fingers and squeezed. Then she tossed a stern command at Justin. “Ladies only. Don’t even think about trying to sneak in. I’ll kick your furry butt out myself if I catch you.”
Justin pulled himself up, drawing his dignity around him like a shield. “If you catch me is the key word in that statement.”
She turned on him, folding her arms over her chest. “Oh, sugar, don’t delude yourself.”
They held a good-natured staring match for a moment before a huge bear shifter shuffled from the shadows to whisper in Nadia’s ear.
She nodded then turned to offer a farewell. “Martin says I’m needed at the bar. I’ll see you soon, Mandy. And Justin?” She narrowed her gaze. “Let me know if I can give you a hand.”
He dipped his head. He wasn’t foolish enough to turn down her help, but hopefully it wouldn’t come to that.
They were nearly done their meal when Caden and Cole marched through the door, hair tousled, clothing askew. The brothers spotted them and headed straight to the table.
“Head’s up,” Justin warned.
Mandy slid closer and tangled her fingers around his biceps.
The wolves tossed themselves onto the padded bench on the opposite side of the table. They were both breathing hard, and Cole grabbed the water jug and lifted it to his mouth to drink straight from the pitcher.
Justin eyed them before glancing toward the door suspiciously. “Where’re your targets, boys?”
“Don’t start with us, big guy, or I’ll go full-moon on your ass,” Cole warned.
“It’s a reasonable question.” All three of them pivoted to stare at Mandy who’d been the one to speak. She shrugged. “Justin said you were the best trackers around. I’m surprised to see you here, without anyone.”
Caden growled as he slammed a hand on the table. Justin had his fingers trapped in an iron-clad fist between one second and the next.
Silence cut like a knife.
Mandy clicked her tongue in warning, and Justin forced himself to let the wolf free.
Caden glared at Justin, but the wolf muttered sorry before letting out a gruff grunt. “We did track them. But they hit the edge of the river and swam off, headed north. No freaking way was I getting in the water to chase down a couple of bears in their native territory.”
Beside him, Mandy glanced up in confusion. “Swam off?”
Justin grimaced. It was unwelcome news. Out of all the shifter species he’d expected trouble from, their new suspects were not on the list. “He means polar bears.”
Caden raised his hands in a shrug. “There’s not much use trying to follow them without contacting someone at—”
“You think they were polar bears,” Cole snapped. “I’m not sure. You got in the way—I couldn’t see clearly.”
His brother whirled on him and glared. “Don’t be a pain in the ass, bro.”
“Don’t be a jerk, bro,” Cole retorted before glancing across the table. “I’m going to track them down.”
Mandy dipped her head, but she held a little tighter to Justin’s arm. “But you’re sure that they’re gone. For now, I mean?”
Caden leaned back, wrinkling his nose. “We did a lap around town before tracking you here. There were only two unfamiliar scents, and they’re long gone. I can’t tell you how sorry we are they accessed a couple of our sleds like that. Must have hot-wired them.”
She blinked in surprise, obviously caught on his earlier comment. “You know everyone in town by their scent?”
Justin leaned down to whisper in her ear. “It’s a wolf thing. Be thankful they don’t sniff like dogs do.”
He secretly patted her butt.
Her eyes widened.
Of course with their abilities, the wolves had heard his comment. The brothers growled a warning, but his tease had brought back a flicker of a smile to Mandy’s lips, and that’s all that mattered.
She offered him a quick wink before facing the brothers again. “But you can track them?”
Caden jerked a thumb at his brother. “I couldn’t, but I bet he can. Pain in the ass.”
“Jerk.” Cole dipped his head. “I came ba
ck to make sure you guys were okay, but I’m heading out again. I swear I’ll find them. There’s something…”
The wolf looked off into the distance, his eyes going out of focus as if he were concentrating on something only he could see. More weird wolf mumbo-jumbo, Justin figured, but the offer of tracking was a good one. It would allow him to stay in Chicken and protect Mandy, and still get to the bottom of the mystery.
“Thanks for that,” Justin said with sincerity.
Mandy reached across the table and squeezed Cole’s hand. “Yes, thank you.”
Caden slapped his brother on the shoulder then motioned toward the door. “Come on, my mate will be waiting. We’ll feed you before you take off.”
The brothers slipped away, vanishing like shadows.
The next second Nadia stood there again, a beacon of silvery-white. She wore an expression that spoke volumes.
Justin couldn’t resist temptation. “Yes? Can I help you?”
Nadia rolled her eyes. “You just can’t spit the words out, can you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“That’s fine. You don’t have to say anything.” The lynx leaned her elbows on the table, speaking directly to Mandy. “I’ve got your back, sister. I know this one”—she jerked her thumb toward Justin—“will take good care of you. He’s a good egg, but just to be sure, I’m calling in favours from all my people. No one gets in or out of Chicken without us knowing. You can relax until Cole gets back. You have my word.”
It was the best of all possible promises. Nadia’s connections throughout town meant she really did have eyes everywhere.
Justin held out a hand. “You’re a good egg too.”
Nadia shook his hand firmly. “Don’t be modest. You know damn well this is why you brought her here in the first place.”
There was no use lying. “Busted.”
She stepped back, dipping her head to Mandy before pulling herself up to her full height of a scant five feet. She stuck out her tongue at Justin, then twirled on the spot and marched away, the giant bear who always shadowed her following behind after offering Justin a quick wink.
Chapter Nine
There was no good reason to leave town. Not with Cole out on the hunt and the entire town on alert, so Justin reluctantly hunkered down for the count with Mandy.
Or at least that’s the story he told his boss when Tyler phoned a few days later.
“…so you see, we’re in pretty much the most protected place right here, and we’ve got all the backup we need.”
The bear on the other end of the line was silent for a moment before a soft chuckle carried over the line.
“You’re lucky all of this makes sense,” Tyler told him. “Because I know damn well you’re not suffering, holed up in some godforsaken uncomfortable bug-out house. You’re probably in the lap of luxury, aren’t you?”
Justin let his gaze meander lazily over Mandy who sat in the recliner opposite him wearing nothing but a sheer nightgown as she glanced through a magazine. “It’s pretty rustic,” Justin insisted. “It took nearly three days to get lobsters flown in.”
Tyler made off-key violin noises on the other end of the line before turning more serious. “You know I trust you, and you know I want the best for you. Take your time. I’ve got the goon squad on my back, so I’m nearly as safe as if you were with me.”
It wasn’t Tyler he was worried about. “And Caroline? Because if you need me, I could always bring Mandy along.”
“Now I know you haven’t been getting enough sleep. Number one, what kind of monster do you think I am? I took the patrol off Caroline a day after you assigned them. She’s a one-man-guerrilla-force all on her own, and she was getting in their way.”
Justin laughed. “What’s number two?”
Head honcho of all the northern hemisphere bears offered him a cheeky chuckle. “It’s awfully hard to woo a woman when you’re acting as my bodyguard.”
To which Justin didn’t even answer, because his boss was right and Mandy was right there. He wasn’t going to draw any attention to said wooing.
He got off the phone and deliberately crossed the room. It was the work of a moment to pick her up and resettle, this time with her in his lap.
She smiled patiently at him when he tugged the magazine from her fingers and dropped it to the floor. “Tyler and Caroline doing well, I take it?”
“They are. They’re back in Yellowknife.”
Her expression went guarded. “Oh.”
“You’re too easy to read,” he warned her before caressing a finger down her cheek. “I don’t need to go back to work yet. Not until we figure out what’s going on with your mysterious strangers.”
She nodded slowly. “Tyler is a good boss to be so understanding.”
“He’s a good friend, first and foremost.” Justin dropped a kiss on her nose. “That’s what good friends do—they understand what you need, sometimes before you know it yourself.”
Mandy wiggled into a more comfortable position, one that brought her warmth into direct contact with the entire front of his torso. She draped her hands over his shoulders, stroking her fingers through his hair as she gazed into his face. “I’m glad you have a friend like that.”
She spoke so softly he nearly missed it. The tone of sadness underbrushing her words.
Justin cupped her face in his hands. “You have a friend like that too, you know.”
Her lips curved upward. “I have more friends now than before, yes. Caroline and Amy. And now Nadia—she’s so sweet to me every time we get together.” Mandy frowned. “Do you know why she’s sad?”
“Is Nadia sad?” Justin thought back over the week they’d been hanging out in Chicken. “I never noticed.”
“Hmmm, maybe I’m wrong.” Mandy tugged her fingers through his hair again, still thoughtful.
“Have you heard from your family yet?”
She’d finally told him she’d been waiting to make contact until there was no possible way Todd could interfere in her life.
“Nothing yet, but Internet on the island is pretty caveman-era.” Mandy shook her head. “I’m conflicted about what I want. It’s been so long since I left that I’d barely know my little sisters, or Nana, or the bears of the island, anymore. My parents were gone years before. Maybe I should just leave it alone, and then I feel guilty for not—”
She slammed her lips close.
“No guilt,” he reminded her. “You are an amazing woman, and whatever happens in the future, I know you’re smart enough to make the right decisions.”
He tweaked her nose, and she nipped playfully at his fingers. “You’re pretty amazing yourself.”
His mind turned to another issue. “By the way, you missed naming one of your friends.”
She blinked hard before smiling. “So I did.”
Justin accepted the kiss she gave him in apology. And the next. And the one after that—well, that one he enjoyed as he took to his feet and carried her blindly down the hall to the bedroom.
He settled them on the bed, cuddling for a while as she murmured happy words around more kisses. Clothes fell away until they were skin on skin. Their touches started soft and teasing before passion flared, and they came together in a bright burst of sensation that made his heart pump and his hopes rise.
This was exactly what he wanted for her. For them. But he wasn’t going to push her to make any long-term decisions yet, even though he knew exactly what he wanted.
Her—forever.
A couple mornings later Mandy was standing at the sink beside him, drying the dishes as he finished hand-washing them after breakfast.
“I thought we could go tobogganing today,” Mandy suggested. “And then the theater society is showing some golden oldies. You want to go?”
Justin hesitated. “Is it on your list?”
She shook her head.
He thought about it for moment “Aww, what the heck. Not everything has to come off the list.”
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It was about the longest vacation Justin had taken since high school when he and his friend had begun their climb to the top in the business world, not to mention the bear’s political structure. Afternoon naps, late-night dinners, long conversations as they walked everywhere around Chicken.
It really was about the best thing he could imagine, and watching Mandy blossom before his eyes made it even better.
She didn’t venture out without him—they were still being cautious, but when they went, she led and he followed, pausing whenever she wanted to chat with the people they had gotten to know in the community.
It was too perfect to last.
His phone rang, and Caden’s growly voice greeted him the instant he said hello.
“Cole is back, and you’re not going to believe this.”
“Did he catch them?”
“One of them. Get down here. It’ll be easier to explain once you see it.”
Caden hung up the phone, leaving Justin wondering.
Mandy wrapped herself around him from the back and pressed a kiss to his biceps. “Who was that?”
“Cole is back.”
She stiffened. “And?”
She had the right to know, and it wasn’t protecting her to not share the information. “He caught one.”
Mandy pulled herself in front of him, eyes going wide before her expression changed into one of sheer determination. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go.”
What was he waiting for? He didn’t want this to end.
Justin pulled himself together before he admitted that and forced her hand.
“What if it’s a setup?” he asked instead, voicing his other concerns. “What if there are more of them out there? What if they’re just trying to get you in the same room as one of them for some reason before they do…something?”
Her lips twitched. “There were a lot of ifs and somethings in that sentence, Justin. Remember our deal? I trust you to keep me safe. If I need to stay here because you’re absolutely sure that’s the only way, I’ll do it. But if I’m safe at your side, we should go.”
Yeah he wasn’t about to lie, and she was right.