Bear Faced Liar

by Alice Coldbreath

  “I've got an art exhibition here in days,” answered Harber. “It’s the culmination of years of work. I really can’t deal with Christine getting – amnesia for chrissakes on top of all the other pressure I’m under! I've still got a ton of preparations to see to for the reception...”

  Jared quirked an eyebrow. Up until now he hadn’t had much of an opinion about this guy, except for feeling slightly sorry for the sap. The sympathy angle was starting to fade real fast.

  Harber ran a hand through his floppy hair and eyed Jared nervously. “I noticed how - um - good you were with her earlier...I don't suppose...?” He cleared his throat. “I just need her out of the way for a couple of weeks until my exhibition's through and she regains her memory.”

  Jared stared at him. “What's it to me?” he asked coldly.

  “Jared ain't no nursemaid,” snorted his cousin.

  “Look,” said Harber in an urgent voice. “I'm in a real fix here and I just need a few days to hold things together. I can't do that with her here. I'm asking you to help me out. We're new to the area and I don't know anybody round here...”

  “Why should we?” asked Jared. There was a distinct whiff of desperation coming off this guy and he didn't like it.

  “I'll pay you. I'll pay you to take her off my hands. Two - three weeks tops.”

  “Yeah, how much?” asked Luke, his ears pricking up.

  Jared rolled his eyes. “We're not interested,” he said shortly.

  “Look,” said Harber shrilly. “I didn't want to have to do this, but your shoddy workmanship is probably to blame for this fiasco in the first place...” He took a few steps back when he caught sight of Jared's face.

  “What did you say, asshole?”

  “How you figure it's our fault?” asked Luke belligerently. “We didn't hang your damn art work from the ceiling!”

  “You built the house though didn't you,” he bleated. “Maybe it's structurally unsound...”

  Jared stepped in swiftly when Luke's eyes started to glow. He seized his younger cousin around the neck. “Easy Luke. Easy. Not now,” he cautioned. “Not in front of this loser.”” He kept his grip tight as his cousin panted. “Relax, cuz. I got this.” Luke wheezed and rested his hands on his knees as he gulped for breath. When Luke thought he had control he released his hold on him and straightened up.

  Harber swallowed nervously. “Your cousin's got quite the temper,”" he quavered. “He ought to see someone about that.”

  Jared stared at him hard, letting his own eyes glow slightly with were-sight. The other man took another step back. “He's just young, is all,” he said coolly. “He doesn't always focus his energies in the right direction. Not like me.”

  Harber reached up and loosened his collar. “Look, maybe I wasn't very diplomatic but I'm desperate-“

  “I got that. I'll take your blonde. But don't come crying if she don't come back to you.”

  His eyes widened at that. “What?” he gulped. “Look, I'm only talking about a couple of weeks max-”

  “I heard you. You've talked enough.” He glanced back over his shoulder, “Luke, get our shit together. All the tools in the van. We're leaving.” He turned back to Harber. “She on the couch?” he asked, then started for the stairs.

  “Wait,” cried Stuart, following him down. “Wait, I need to pack her some things...”

  “No need,” answered Jared tersely. He took the stairs two at a time, easily out-pacing the guy on his longer legs. As soon as he was down the stairs he made for the lounge area. The entire house was open-plan. He could see the large L-shaped leather couch and the figure huddled under a duvet from the stairs. He made for it, his inner bear giving a low rumble of approval. Mine.

  “She's not dressed,” objected the thin voice from the stairs as Stuart hurried down after him. “I can't let you just take her like that...”

  Jared pulled back the duvet with interest, but by ‘not dressed’, her limp-dick boyfriend meant she was wearing silk shorty pajamas. He paused a moment to rip the string of pearls from her throat before casting them onto the floor behind him and scooping her up, duvet and all. He noticed her diamond engagement ring was missing from her finger. Good. “I got this,” he said with finality and swung her up into his arms.

  **

  While Luke hurried to and from the house, packing up their stuff, Jared carried his new blonde out to his truck. Her eyes had fluttered open briefly as he stepped out of the house and she’d looked up at him wordlessly before closing them again. His bear stirred within him prompting him to lean forward to catch the scent of her hair. Honeysuckle and jasmine. Some fancy shampoo he guessed. Only the best for this trophy wife. He smiled grimly thinking of where he was taking her. His trailer. Yep, Stuart’s bitch-on-wheels blonde was in for a shock. Hell, she was his now. His bitch-on-wheels blonde. The thought was an oddly satisfying one. He’d be more worried about that, if his bear wasn’t so bone-deep contented. He finally acknowledged this was what his bear had wanted from the start. This female in his possession. Pointless fighting instinct. Jared wasn’t so sure. He knew this was crazy, but fate had practically pushed her into his arms. He shifted his grip so he could open the truck door behind her. Then he paused. If he loaded her in the passenger seat she’d be cozied up against Luke. That didn’t sit well with him. His bear growled long and low within his head. He’d never let his cuz drive his truck before, but that was preferable to letting Luke handle his woman. After the briefest hesitation he climbed up himself and started to settle her in his lap. She gave a groan that went right to his loins. Calm the fuck down, he reminded himself. She’s injured. His bear fretted at that and turned protective. When she struggled in his arms, he let her sit up. Then she did the damnedest thing. Turning in his lap, she sat astride him and with a sigh settled her face into his neck, breathing deep. Oh, his bear liked that - thought she was taking his scent. She leaned forward with her whole weight, pressing her small breasts to his chest. Then she went completely relaxed and fell back to sleep. Jared sat very still. Well, shit. So much for staying calm. He could feel the steady pulse at his groin. He was surrounded by her. And what’s more he liked it. Liked it a lot. Her long, bent legs were bare on either side of his. Her arms were low, her hands loosely clasping his hips. He looked down at her light golden limbs against the faded blue of his jeans and breathed a raspy sigh. His cousin wrenched open the driver’s door and Jared drew the quilt up and around her to cover her up. He left one hand splayed against her lower back. Holding her. He wasn’t sure who he was comforting, her or him. Or the bear. Maybe all three of them.

  “I’m drivin’?” asked Luke incredulously.

  “Yup,” he slid his keys across the seat. “Take it slow. She’s sleepin’.”

  His cousin cast an uneasy glance at him before firing up the truck. “You got a plan Jared?” he asked scratching his head as they pulled out of the driveway. “I mean, you didn’t even hash out the terms or negotiate the fee with that guy.” Luke sounded bewildered and no wonder. Jared usually drove a hard bargain. He shrugged a shoulder. “I know what I’m doing,” he lied. He really didn't.

  “Where you gonna keep her?” asked Luke. “You gonna take her up to Aunt ‘Tunia's...?”

  “Hell no,” burst out Jared. “Are you crazy?”

  “What then?”

  Jared blew out a breath. “I’m takin' her to the trailer.”

  “The what now? You can’t take her there!” protested Luke, pushing the cap back on his head. “Have you gone outta your mind?”

  “Keep your voice down,” he cautioned his cousin mildly. He could tell by her steady breathing that his blonde was still fast asleep. Her breath was tickling his neck. He stroked his thumb absently down her lower back. He really wanted to cop a feel of that curvy ass, but he could feel Luke’s gaze on him so he hitched his breath and stared straight ahead instead.

  “God damn it,” swore Luke. “This is one fucked-up situation. No way Debbie’d be cool with me bringing no woman
back to the house.”

  Jared breathed out calmly. “Well there’s no fear of that,” he pointed out. He absolutely would not allow that.

  “What about your woman?” asked Luke.

  Jared glanced down at her blonde hair spread across his chest. “She’s fine, still asleep.”

  His cousin’s jaw dropped. “I didn’t mean her!” he sounded shocked. “Priscilla!”

  Jared’s mouth tightened. “Priscilla left me, remember? Thirteen months ago.”

  “Well yeah, but we all thought-“

  “What? That we’d get back together?” Jared snorted.

  “Aunt ‘Tunia reckons you’re nursing a broken heart under that stoic exterior.”

  “A broken heart?” echoed Jared incredulously. He shook his head. “Not my style.”

  “You was with her for two years,” pointed out his cousin stubbornly. “Even though no-one liked her!”

  “None of you ever met her,” pointed out Jared dryly.

  “Well whose fault was that?” demanded his cousin. “You refused to bring her to Cranston!”

  “I know,” he agreed. “I knew it wasn’t right.”

  “Well, if you’d have brung her the family would have come around…eventually. After all…”

  “That’s not what I meant,” cut in Jared. “I mean, I knew me and Priscilla wasn’t right. We weren’t matched. It was just a convenience thing.”

  “Convenience?” echoed Luke in disbelief. “How was it convenient to be dating a woman who lives three hours away? To move away from your own kin and your own kind for two whole years and…”

  Jared sighed. “I was just stretching my wings,” he said. “I just wanted to get away for a while. Cranston Falls, the family. Everything.”

  Luke stared.

  “Eyes on the road,” Jared reminded him.

  “So Priscilla wasn’t the love of your life?” puzzled out Luke. “Even though you nearly broke Aunt ‘Tunia’s heart.”

  Jared rolled his eyes. “I what now?” he asked. “Why, ‘cos Cilla was a stripper?”

  Luke made a choking sound. “Well..” he said weakly. “Most likely. And ‘cos you moved away for two years and broke up the family…”

  Jared sighed. “She had you and Debbie, and she had Daisy,” he said naming his sister. “She had plenty to be going on with. I just needed some time to adjust to the idea of living my whole life in Cranston is all.”

  “What’s wrong with Cranston Falls?” asked his cousin. “If you ask me it’s the best dang place in the world for a bear shifter to grow up and raise his family!”

  Jared nodded his head. “I know,” he agreed. “I just wasn’t sure it was for me.”

  Luke made a disparaging noise low in his throat. “Debs says you just need to find the right woman.”

  Jared slid his hand up Pristine Christine’s spine. She shifted slightly against him and sighed. “Mmm, mebbe,” he agreed non-committal. His bear gave a low growl. I know, I know, he pacified him. She's ours now. All ours.

  **

  She was cozy in the bed and didn't want to move. Even though she knew her head was tender, the pillow was so warm and firm it made her sigh with pleasure. Soft flannel, she thought with surprise. Who would have thought it would make such comfortable bedding? Then she realized her head was resting on someone's arm. That someone being large and muscular and male and spooning her in the bed. For some reason, she couldn't think where she was, or who she was. Or more alarmingly, who the large, muscular male curled around her was. She lay there a moment, silently panicking as her eyes darted around the room. The bedroom was surprisingly, well, small. She blinked as she took in the wardrobe and compact dresser which seemed somewhat barer than she would expect. It had nothing on it other than some deodorant and a comb! The walls and ceiling too were surprisingly close to the bed and they seemed curved at the ceiling. She closed her eyes a moment wondering if her perspective was off, but no. It was just a very small room. With a rounded ceiling. Glancing down her body she almost jumped when she saw the large tanned hand resting on her lower belly. She could feel his chest rising and falling behind her back, but for the life of her she couldn't recall his face. She lay there a moment stunned, mustering the courage to peer back over her shoulder at her companion. Her breathing must have given her away though as the hand shifted from her belly to her hip, giving it a light squeeze.

  "You okay, baby?" asked a drowsy voice.

  Oh my god, his voice! She thought she felt a tremor of recognition for that sexy, deep voice which seemed to rumble right out of his chest. She felt it reverberate right down to her toes.

  “Um. I can't seem to-” she broke off her words. How did she put this exactly? She squeezed her eyes shut and then stared at the cream wall in front of her. “I seem to be having trouble...”

  “With your memory?”" he asked lazily. “Yeah, you got a touch of amnesia, darlin’. Don't worry about it.”

  A touch of amnesia? What the hell? She struggled to turn and face him, but his body was solid and hard to maneuver and he didn't seem to want to disentangle!

  “What time is it?” she gasped, though why that was bothering her was anyone's guess!

  “Early,” he grunted. “You slept right through.”

  “Right through what?” she asked suspiciously, and then stiffened as he nuzzled the back of her neck.

  “The night,” he breathed against the sensitive skin of her nape making her shiver.

  “Um,” she said again, her heart racing. “H-how did I get here?”

  “In my truck,” he answered.

  “Is this your house?” she asked, in mounting panic.

  “Trailer,” he corrected her.

  “Trailer?” she echoed blankly.

  “Yeah, honey, trailer. This is where we live. For now.”

  She lived in a trailer? Could that be right? She lay there a moment feeling winded and disoriented. This time when she struggled to turn, he let her, though his hand remained possessively at her waist. Then she got a glimpse of him and it suddenly it all fell into place. She remembered him! Oh thank god! An image surfaced from the confusion of her thoughts. Him. Tenderly calling her sweetheart and telling her she was home! With a grateful sob she buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around him. He lay still a moment and then he hauled her even tighter against him.

  “Sweet,” he whispered against her brow. “Who knew.” His hand slid down to cup her ass over her silky shorts. “Damn,” he said with a husky sigh. “You feel just about perfect here in my arms.”

  Perfect. Yeah, he felt pretty perfect himself. She closed her eyes a moment as she reveled in the feeling of all that warm muscle pressed against her. His massive chest was bare, though liberally covered in a scattering of dark hair. He tangled his muscular long legs with hers and they lay in a moment of perfect calm. Then a hammering started on the small window, making them both jump with shock. “Jared!” yelled the voice insistently. “Open the damn door!”

  “God damn it Daisy,” he swore, glaring savagely at the brunette squinting through the window at them.

  “Who's that?” she asked, noticing he didn't release his hold on her even when she tried to pull away.

  “My sister,” he scowled.

  “Jared,” she said trying out the name immediately. It suited him. “We should have curtains in the bedroom window.”

  “We live in the middle of a field, baby,” he pointed out as he detached himself and slid off the mattress. “I'll go see what she wants.”

  She snorted, not without me you won't and slid off the mattress after him, following him out barefoot into the narrow passageway leading to a kitchen-diner area. Her eyes widened. They actually did live in a trailer! He flung the door open and Daisy ran up the steps and barged in. “Oh this is priceless!” she said, scathingly with a ferocious glare. “You finally deigned to pay us a visit, did you? After two years!” She swung back to Jared. “You told Aunt 'Tunia yet?”

  Jared crossed his arms a
cross his bare chest and looked at his sister. “She only just got into town,” he said at last.

  “You gonna introduce us?” Daisy demanded. When Jared said nothing she marched right up. “Priscilla, I assume?” she asked pointedly.

  Funnily enough, it was only at this moment that she realized she didn't know her own name! She sent a slightly panicked gaze to Jared. He looked frozen for a moment and then gave her the briefest of nods.

  “I am,” she replied with dignity. Though it didn't feel... right somehow? Priscilla? “Nice to meet you.”

  Daisy snorted. “Well look at you with the la-dee-dah manners.”

  “Daisy,” said Jared warningly.

  Daisy tossed her dark hair over her shoulder and wrinkled her nose. “Not what I expected,” she admitted grudgingly, flicking her gaze up and down. “Though she does have good legs, I'll give you that.”

  Jared sighed. “Pris,” he said “This spitfire is my sister Daisy.”

  “Pleased to meet you.” She had to admit, Pris did sound a lot better. It echoed in her head right. Pris.

  “Likewise,” drawled Daisy sounding blindingly insincere. “How long you staying?”

  “She's staying for good,” answered Jared swiftly.

  Both women stared at that.

  For good, thought Pris, her heart thudding. So they were serious.

  As if to illustrate this point Jared's hand shot out to drag her against him.

  “Pris had a long bus journey all the way from Royston,” he said winding his arm around her waist. “Some reason you woke us up, Daisy?”

  “Well I didn't know her high & mightiness had arrived in town,” snarked his sister. “And I wanted you to speak to Lloyd.”

  “What about now?” he shot back, sounding impatient.

  “I want you to talk to him about this scheme of his and Mitch's,” her jaw jutted out. “It's madness for them to go into partnership and I want you to tell him that.”

  “Daisy,” Jared sighed, raking one hand over his face. “It's nothing to do with me.”

  “Uh, hello? I'm your sister!”

  “So?” he shot back. “You can't expect your husband to let me boss him around about some business scheme...”