Shifter Starter Set

by Candace Ayers

  I stared after her, frozen to my spot, and gaped as I finally heard what my bear had been shouting, but I had been too fucking stubborn to hear. Mine.

  Mine.

  There was no ignoring the shouting in my head now. Allie was my mate. My fucking mate. The realization was a punch to the gut.

  Allie continued to stomp off, no hesitating or looking back at me. She was probably thinking about her fiancé. Her fiancé…

  I slipped into the woods, desperate to shift and run off the searing pain that was scorching my body. I couldn’t stop the wild roar that escaped my twisting, contorting face.

  It wasn’t until I had shifted and was standing as bear, looking after my mate, that I realized with horror my mistake. I’d allowed my bear to take control of my body. I now had no chance of keeping him away from Allie.

  I ran in the direction of her overpoweringly heady scent which managed to pull every primal urge I possessed to the surface. I was seconds from breaking through the trees when I was slammed, caught sideways by the full force of a raging bear and sent sprawling into a massive tree trunk.

  The tree rocked and shook from the blow, but I quickly righted myself and with a loud roar, charged toward the offending bear. My protective instincts were on high alert, and this bear was too close to my mate. That wouldn’t do.

  Instead of fighting back, the other bear shifted to a human and I was left staring down at Wyatt. I snarled at him before forcing my bear to recede. “What the fuck, Wyatt?”

  He sat up and glared at me. “What the fuck, Hawthorne?! You were charging at your new waitress! What were you planning to do?”

  I knew that I didn’t want to confide the truth to Wyatt. The truth that my new waitress was also my mate. I couldn’t identify why I felt the need for secrecy. Normally, I was an open book. I told my best friends everything. Hell, we’d grown up together and had been through thick and thin. We pretty much knew everything about each other. None of them had mates, though. None of them wanted a mate, as far as I knew. I didn’t want a mate.

  My bear growled at me and paced back and forth inside, pissed that I wasn’t going after Allie. I stared at the spot she’d disappeared from and shoved my hands through my hair. I liked my life. I did what I wanted, when I wanted. I could always find a warm and willing female for me to sleep next to, if I wanted, but on nights I wanted to be alone, I got to sleep alone. I was free. Uncomplicated. A mate would bring more stress, tension, and responsibility than I knew what to do with. Not to mention, possibly cost me more than I could afford to lose.

  Plus, Allie was just passing through and she had a fiancé.

  “Well?”

  “I wasn’t running after her. I was just running. I didn’t see her until it was too late.” We both knew he could hear the lie in my voice.

  Wyatt shoved me and walked away from me. “You’ve never lied to me before, Thorn. Get your shit together.”

  I puffed out my chest and flipped him the bird. “My shit is together. Perfectly together.”

  “Whatever. Just don’t forget about the game tonight.”

  Fuck. I forgot.

  I stayed the hell away from the bar, despite my restless, pain in the ass bear demanding I go and find my mate. My bear could shovel shit. I wasn’t cut out to be mated. I couldn’t deny how good Allie felt against me, but she was engaged to some other asshole. I refused to follow my momma’s footsteps and latch on to someone who might completely negate my entire existence just by saying goodbye. Besides, I was having the time of my life not being tied down. Fun times, no strings, no one to tear my heart out and send me to an early grave from devastating loss.

  Nope. Nothing about Allie and I sounded like a good match.

  I just had to avoid her. It wouldn’t be that hard. I’d make sure Abram put her on the daytime shifts and I’d come in late. No big deal.

  Except, apparently, my bear wasn’t on board with that plan. I found myself turning in the direction of the bar. If I breathed in too deeply, I could still smell her. This whole thing was torture.

  Until Wyatt’s reminder, I’d almost forgotten about the hometown football game. A lot of the shifters in town liked to get together and knock each other around as hard as we could one night a week. The guys and I were on an undefeated team so far. It was always a good time and I even shut the bar down for a couple of hours and sold beer from a big cooler on the sidelines.

  The local high school wasn’t large enough for its own football field, so we used the field behind the bar. The location made it easy to get supplies from the bar out to the crowd.

  Football night was cherished. Shifters naturally had a little extra violence in them, so being able to take it out on one another on the field was always fun. It could get messy and a little bloody, but it was all just for the fun of the game.

  After the tension I had built up inside from fighting with my bear to stay away from Allie all day, I needed a release. That was why, fifteen minutes before the games were supposed to start, I was already on the field in just my shorts and tennis shoes, ready to go.

  Wyatt was next to me, giving me weird side-glances, but none of the other guys noticed or cared. We were all energetic before a game. Most of the time we ended up matched against a couple of guys we’d never gotten along with and it was a hell of a lot of fun to take them down.

  I thought I was feeling better and looking forward to some ass kicking, but then Allie walked out of the back door of the bar, her round ass calling to me as she bent over, wrestling the cooler out. She was wearing a short skirt that kept catching in the breeze. The way it flirted around the bottom of her ass cheeks had me damn near choking on my own spit.

  Of course, Sterling and Sam made no qualms about taking in the sight. Just as a bigger breeze blew, her skirt floated up for a second, giving us all a view of her perfect ass, beautifully wrapped in a pair of lacey panties. My dick tented my thin shorts and I couldn’t contain the growl that emanated from my chest and rumbled across the field.

  As if on cue, Allie stood up straight and ran her hands down the back of her skirt, smoothing it, before turning and meeting my eyes. Her face flushed pink and she spun back around to the cooler.

  “What I wouldn’t do to take a bite out of that sweet, sweet ass.”

  I turned and punched Sam in the arm as hard I could. He winced and shoved me.

  “What the hell, man?”

  “Don’t talk about my-” What could I say? “Waitress like that.” Instead of arguing it anymore, and playing chance with losing my cool any more than I already had, I hurried over to Allie to help.

  10

  Allie

  No, no, no. I didn’t want Thorn’s help. I heard him do that growly thingy he seemed to do as normally as breathing and couldn’t help the wild crazy stirring of my body responding to it. What the hell was wrong with me?

  I kept my head down and tried to remain calm. As calm as I could be when my mind knew just how it felt to have Thorn’s tongue explore my mouth.

  “Here. Let me give you a hand with that.” His deep voice washed over me like a caress and I ended up dropping the cooler and backing away, afraid of how my body would react if he happened to touch me. “Thanks.”

  He bent over to grab the handle and looked up from his near eye-level position with me. His pupils dilated and he made a sound, from the back of his throat, that resembled a choking gasp. “Your, uh… Your skirt keeps flying up.”

  I used both hands to hold down the bottom of my skirt, frustrated that I’d chosen to wear it for a night outside. Heat blossomed across my chest and I swore. “Yep. That’s happening.”

  He looked around us, at all the people gathered, all the shirtless men milling about. “Hold on a second.”

  I watched his muscled, tattooed back disappear into the bar and swallowed hard. He was stunning. If there’d ever been a man who could literally incinerate my panties, it was Thorn. And I hated it. He was so obviously a player. Of course, I was attracted to him.

 
I groaned and looked up at the darkening sky. There hadn’t been a cloud around all day long. It’d warmed up since my walk that morning, but it was getting cooler again with the sun fading.

  “Here. You can tie this around. It should help.”

  I took the large flannel shirt from Thorn’s outstretched hand and tied it around my waist, eager to keep from showing my ass to all of Burden. I flashed him a small smile and looked away. “Thanks. I’ll get it back to you tonight.”

  “What? You can’t look at me now?” He easily lifted the cooler and walked it towards the makeshift bar at the side of the field.

  I blew out a rough breath. “Of course, I can look at you.”

  “Then do it.”

  I forced myself to look over at him, but seeing his arms stretched taut with the cooler, his muscles flexing, did things to me. I clenched my thighs together and stumbled. More heat took over my neck and face and I was sure everyone around could tell I was blushing and stumbling around like some teenage idiot.

  “Smooth.” He put the cooler down and then moved closer to me. His breath washed over my neck and chest as he sighed. “Should I apologize for this morning?”

  I made the mistake of looking up at him and met his bright eyes. Those eyes. Instantly entranced, I shifted my body to face his full on and chewed on my bottom lip. “Sure.”

  He moved impossibly closer, somehow still not touching me. “Did you enjoy it?”

  Of course, I’d enjoyed it. I’d enjoyed it so much that I’d had to go back to the trailer and change panties. I’d never been so stimulated by a kiss in my life. I’d enjoyed it so much that I almost didn’t feel guilty when I thought of Eric, sitting at his desk in his corner office, growing more and more agitated that I wasn’t calling. I’d enjoyed it so much that when Kayla, another waitress, offered to let me use her charger to recharge my phone, I’d refused.

  I jumped when Thorn’s big hand landed on my hip. Even through the fabric of my shirt, it felt like fire. I blinked a few times and tried to remember why I was saying no to him. “I have a fiancé.”

  Something darkened in his eyes and he backed away. “So you said.”

  I watched him jog back to the other side of the field and then shook myself out of it. No matter what, I wasn’t hooking up with Thorn. Sleeping with the boss was a one-way street to getting fired and being back in my car. I wasn’t ready to end my trip. I should’ve known better than to let another man kiss me while I was sort of engaged to Eric. I wasn’t behaving any better than the men who’d hurt me.

  I didn’t know how to forget the way he’d made me feel that morning, though. It hadn’t felt like a simple kiss. It had felt like Thorn was capturing a part of me, or something equally inappropriate. To feel that kind of attachment after one kiss was insane. Impossible. Yet…I’d spent my entire day thinking about Thorn, feeling the same familiarity and belonging to him that I felt to his bar. It was driving me nuts. There shouldn’t have been anything. He was an attractive man, sure, but I wasn’t a boy-crazy school girl having a first crush. Admiring his sexy physique was one thing, but the wild lust that I felt when I looked at him? Certifiably nuts!

  Abram showed up while I was lost in thought and gave me a hand setting up the table for the night. The game started shortly after, two teams of guys I didn’t recognize tearing up the field. I watched while passing out beers and taking money.

  The game was intense. The men didn’t hold back their aggression. They took the opposing teams down with enough force to seriously injure. Yet, time and time again, the players kept getting up and going again. I didn’t know how they were doing it.

  “It’s not as tough as it looks.”

  I turned to find a man I didn’t recognize staring down at me with interest. Something about the way he held himself put me on alert, too much confidence oozing out of his pores like oil of narcissism.

  His eyes travelled my body, leaving an almost palpable trail of ick behind. “Taking hits like that isn’t hard. Especially not when you’re taking them from pussies like Thorn and his pals.”

  I looked over to where the guys were lining up, getting ready to head out onto the field themselves. “You think those men are pussies?”

  The slimy stranger combed his hair back with his fingers in a way that I could tell was practiced and nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

  I took in his sleeveless shirt, jersey shorts, and tennis shoes. He wasn’t dressed much differently than the guys playing, he didn’t look different, but there was something about him that bothered me and made him stink with ugly. “Do you need a beer or…”

  He grinned. “That the only way I’m going to get you to talk to me? Buy one of Hawthorn’s cheap beers?”

  I raised my eyebrows and put my hands on my hips. “You’ve got a problem with the beer?”

  “Here. Take this and keep the change. You go ahead and have the beer yourself, if you’re thirsty. My treat.” He handed me a twenty and then, when I didn’t take it, shoved it into the pocket on the front of my apron. “Let’s talk about something other than those idiots. When did you get into town?”

  I was going to lose my shit on him. As stressed as I already was with my lust for Thorn growing by the minute, I couldn’t handle some jerk being all weird with me. “You want a beer, I’ll sell you a beer. You want to talk, go find a therapist. I’m working here. And, take your twenty back. I’m not accepting tips tonight.”

  11

  Hawthorne

  “Fucking Kyle Barns is talking to your new girl.” Wyatt shook his head and popped his knuckles. “It looks like she’s giving him a hard time, though.”

  I didn’t need his commentary. I’d seen Kyle approach her and was struggling with the urge to run over and bash his face into the table in between them. I’d crushed a football with one hand when I saw him slip the tips of his fingers into her apron. I knew she could take care of herself, but I was feeling like I was about to go ballistic, I wanted to go to her so bad.

  I watched as they talked more and then Allie tossed the money he’d slipped into her apron at his face. It bounced off Kyle’s nose and landed between them on the table. Kyle’s back grew stiff as he leaned down with his palms on the table and spoke to her.

  Before I even knew what I was doing, I was crossing the field, interrupting the game in progress, and reaching for him. Turned out Allie didn’t need me, though. As I watched, she grabbed the neck of a bottle, smashed the bottom of it against the table and then held the makeshift weapon between their bodies.

  “Threaten me again and I’ll cut your dick off. And if I don’t, Thorn will. Isn’t that right, Thorn?” Her voice was strong and full of the fire that reflected in her eyes. Her hand didn’t shake as it held the broken bottle, sharp end pointed at Kyle.

  “Gladly.” My voice was a low growl. “Get going, Kyle. I’d hate to cause a scene.”

  He stayed where he was, facing Allie and I could feel it getting to her. “Run along, little bear. I’ve got business to finish with the lady.”

  He shifted his fingers on the table and it was all I needed. I grabbed him by the back of his neck and threw him away from her. A shriek escaped her soft mouth and I vowed to make it right before the day ended. That mouth was made for sounds of pleasure, not fear.

  Kyle spun around to face me, but I was already planting the bottom of my shoe on his chest. He went flying backwards and I followed, muscles expanding and threatening to shift. “Stand down, Kyle. Unless you want to thoroughly embarrass yourself.”

  He climbed to his feet and I let him. “Afraid of a little competition, Thorn?”

  Competition? For Allie. He’d die painfully before I let him lay a finger on her. My bear would never allow it. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll turn tail and head home.”

  He leered, practically bearing his teeth at me. “You think you’re the shit, don’t you? I should show you just how untrue that is.”

  I was just about to show him just how far he was pushing me, but Sterling and S
am appeared at my side with Wyatt and Hutch behind them. Hutch stepped behind me and squeezed my shoulders. “Relax, brother. This punk is leaving.”

  Wyatt crossed his arms. “Right?”

  And just that quickly, it ended. Kyle was a fool and was going to need to be reminded of just how far down the rankings he really was, but he wasn’t crazy enough to try to take on all of us. Most likely, he wasn’t even crazy enough to try to take on just me alone. So, when he turned to leave, we let him go.

  “I’m getting really fucking tired of his shit.”

  I looked at Sterling and rolled my eyes. “You did that.”

  Sterling started rambling about how it wasn’t his fault, but we all knew the truth. Sterling poked his pecker in the wrong place and that place happened to be Kyle’s girlfriend. Since then, the man had had it out for us. He’d made it his mission to fuck with us every chance he got.

  “Well, either way, looks like their team is one down to play us.”

  I glanced back at Allie and then to Hutch. “Nope, we’re down one, too. I’m going to take Allie inside and make sure she’s okay. Play this first game without me.”

  They tried to hassle me about it, but I ignored them. Even though I knew what I needed to do, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t stay away from her. That little cry of hers was echoing around my head like a fucking bullet to the brain.

  She was still standing where she’d been, the bottle at her side. I finally noticed the way her fingers were now trembling and eased the bottle from her.

  “Come inside with me for a second. We’ll make sure you’re okay.” I tossed the bottle away and took her small hand in mine. Warmth spread from my stomach out and I had to swallow back a groan. She was going to be the death of me. I couldn’t have her, but my body didn’t understand that. My bear sure as hell didn’t.