Max threw Bethany an amused glance before fetching the bag of potting soil by the garage. “Here you go, sir. What else can I help with?”
Mr. Parker laughed. “Be careful whatchya wish for, young fella. But you could pour some of that into the bowl for me.”
“No problem, sir.”
Max continued helping and fetching for Mr. Parker until the new toilet was filled marigolds and the whole mess cleaned up. Bethany contented herself with watching Max work while leaning a hip against the Parkers old Buick. No doubt about it, the guy was really nice to look at. And he seemed to be a genuinely nice guy, too, but she couldn’t let thoughts like that ping around in her brain for too long.
“Are you sure you want to keep going?” Bethany asked as they continued down the street. “Someone might rope you into helping them raise a barn or something.”
Max laughed. “It’s nice to be part of a community, don’t you think? Help each other out, make friends.”
“Yeah, I guess. It’s just…I’ve known most of these folks for a couple years now and have never had so much interaction with them.”
He glanced over at her and gave her a nudge. “Maybe you should try it sometime. You never know what kind of friend you’ll make.”
A crinkle formed at her brow as she tried not to read anything into his comment. He’s just making small talk.
The rest of the walk was relatively uneventful. No more needy mothers, no more elders in peril. Just two people indulging in a sunset stroll.
She’d started out assuming he was conceited but it didn’t take long to realize he wasn’t stuck-up at all. In fact, he was downright charming. He got her jokes, or at least pretended to find them funny, and seemed interested in her wacky views on the world. As they headed back to the duplex, she found herself warming to him, enjoying their conversation. Uh oh, she thought. Do NOT fall for this guy!
Max’s hand rested on her lower back as they walked down the sidewalk in front of their place, and she was very aware of its presence. “So you said the raccoons haven’t been bothering the cans much lately, huh?”
“Yeah, I can’t explain it. Maybe Chet killed them or something, but they don’t come around anymore.”
Max was thoughtful for a moment. “Those woods look nice,” he finally said, nodding toward the thick stand of trees that marched up to their backyard.
“They’re beautiful. I try to walk them every day.”
He eyed Bethany carefully. “Alone?”
“Sure, why not?”
“I dunno, just seems like a wild animal might ravage you or something.” He nudged her with his elbow, teasing. There was a glint in his eye that made her blush. Heat coursed through her body, pooling in her center.
She looked away and shrugged again. “Guess I’m not the ravagable type.”
Max’s hand pressed a little harder against her back. “I would have to disagree.”
Bethany gave him a sidelong glance to see if he was making fun of her, but his attention was focused on the woods behind the house.
As they reached their communal front porch, he turned to her. “Thanks for giving me a tour, Bethany. It was nice to get to know my neighbors. I’m looking forward to living here.”
He looked out to the street and fidgeted, like he was nervous. “I can’t do it tonight, but maybe we could barbecue or whatever sometime soon.”
Confusion swept through her. The little wrinkle between her eyebrows — the one she inherited from her mom and was thinking about getting Botox for — deepened as she tried to figure out what he was saying. Was he asking her out or was this just one neighbor inviting over another to be friendly? She realized that more than anything she wished for the former, but deep down didn’t believe it could be anything but the latter.
“Yeah, sure, sounds good.” She was careful to sound interested but not too eager. She would just die if he knew what was running through her dirty little brain right now — images of them rolling around naked in the backyard while steaks burned on the grill. Drool filled her mouth, and it wasn’t from thinking about steaks.
Max’s face lit up in a dazzling grin. “Great! Does Sunday afternoon work for you?”
Bethany could feel herself blinking in disbelief but was incapable of controlling her surprise. This was really happening. “Um, sure. What should I bring?”
Max grabbed both of her hands in his, smiling from ear to ear and shaking his head. “Just yourself. Come on over when you start to smell meat.”
The heat of his hands burned into Bethany’s palms. Her entire body was buzzing with desire for Max, and his happiness over their impending backyard barbecue made her wonder if he maybe could be interested in more than just a neighborly relationship with her.
Nah, he’s just new to the area and wants to meet people, she tried to tell herself. But the fact that his fingers were lingering on hers contradicted that thought. She had no idea what to think as she melted into his gold-flecked eyes.
He leaned in closer to her. “I’m really looking forward to getting to know you better, Bethany Mills.” His voice had turned husky and soft, sending a shudder through Bethany’s frame.
And then he was gone.
She hadn’t realized her eyes had closed, but when she opened them, Max’s front door was closing gently. She stood there for a moment, swaying in the dusky twilight wondering what had just happened.
Bethany woke with a start in the middle of the night. She thought she’d heard some kind of noise but in her sleep-addled state she couldn’t quite remember what it was. For some reason ‘wild animal’ popped into her head. Probably just a dog barking, she thought as she shuffled into the bathroom for a pit stop.
She cursed the monkey who’d taken a dump in her mouth at some point during the night and wandered into the kitchen for a sip of water. “I’m just gonna have to pee again,” she grumbled while she let the tap run cold before filling a glass.
The first cool mouthful of water was slipping down her throat when a movement outside caught her eye. Her heart leapt automatically before she remembered that she was inside and whatever she saw was outside. She was always careful to check the locks on all her windows and doors before going to bed every night, so she knew she was safe.
Still…
She scanned the darkness, searching for another glimpse of whatever she’d seen. It must have come from the woods. They were no more than a few hundred yards from the duplex, and lord only knew what lived in there. She’d seen squirrels, deer, and even a fox once. But it was a big forest so it could possibly be home to much bigger wildlife, though she’d never seen signs of any.
As she raised the glass to her lips for another sip, she froze. Her eyes had adjusted enough to spot the creature. It lumbered slowly toward the duplex, its bulk rippling under a thick dark brown coat of fur. Bethany had never seen a bear in real life — hadn’t even known they inhabited the area.
Adrenaline pumped through her bloodstream, which woke her up in a hurry. Should she call someone? Who would that someone be? The police? Animal Control? The circus? All she knew was that she couldn’t move because she was paralyzed with fear.
Her arm started shaking from being held in a mid-drink position for so long — and possibly from terror — but now she was worried that any movement might catch the bear’s attention. It was no more than twenty feet from the stubby chain-link fence that encircled the tiny backyard, and it looked big enough to practically step over it. She shot a sidelong glance at her sliding glass door, not at all confident that it would keep out a bear of this size.
Her saucer-sized eyes watched as the creature approached the fence with purpose. It was almost as if it knew exactly where it was going. She barely noticed the water sloshing out of the glass and running down the length of her forearm, or her teeth chattering in her head.
She’d just decided that to slowly ease the glass down and slink away from the window when the bear started growling and reared back on its hind legs. If she hadn’t just go
ne to the bathroom, Bethany knew her bladder would have released. Every hair on her body bristled and stood on end at the sounds coming from the beast outside the back gate.
If she’d been frightened by the bear, what she saw next sent her onto another plane of terror she never knew existed.
The fur covering the bear started rippling and shimmering in the moonlight. It threw its head back and rolled its shoulders like a man easing tension from them. It seemed to actually be shrinking in stature and girth, and its fur was fading into nothingness. In a matter of seconds, ‘it’ was no longer standing at the gate — Max was.
Bethany opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out, just like during her childhood nightmares. Little gasps of hot air trickled from her lips as she tried to find her voice. But before she could scream, her water-slickened hand lost its grip on the glass, which crashed into the sink. Max’s head whipped in her direction.
“Eep!” she squeaked as she dropped to the floor, imagining what he would do if he found out what she’d just witnessed. For a long, terrifying moment, she heard nothing. Her breathing stopped entirely at the grinding squeal of the back gate and didn’t start again until she heard Max’s backdoor slide shut.
Gasping for air, her body started shuddering. She was in shock. She managed to crawl to the couch, where she huddled under the gaudy throw her grandmother had crocheted for her. If she’d had a gun, she would have been cuddling it, but all she had was a chef’s knife, which trembled from the shaking her hands transmitted to it. Tears streamed down her face unheeded.
“What the fuck was that?” she whispered. Her brain tried to make sense of it but the circuits weren’t connecting. It was impossible and didn’t make sense. She felt like a robot who’d been given contradictory information: Does.Not.Compute. She started giggling hysterically at the robotic voice in her head, understanding she was quite possibly losing her mind, but more probably in shock.
It didn’t take long for the adrenaline crash to come. One minute she was shivering and muttering “Does not compute” under her blanket, the next she was vaguely aware of the knife slipping from her fingers and clattering to the floor before she passed into oblivion.
~ * ~ * ~
The slam of Max’s front door jarred Bethany awake the next morning. She was curled up on the couch, stiff as a board and utterly exhausted. She watched Max’s shadow move toward his truck’s shadow, then stop. He moved back toward her side of the duplex and stopped again. She was sure he could hear her heart pounding all the way outside.
“Please go away,” she whispered. Almost as if he’d heard her, he moved back to his truck and drove away.
Bethany let out a sigh of relief. But there was something else…regret. She liked Max. Sure, he was hot as hell, but there was something else. He was a nice guy and seemed to genuinely like her.
But what she saw last night…
Did she really see it? The idea of Max being some kind of freaky shapeshifter was ridiculous, but she’d seen the bear with her own eyes. He was huge and brown and hairy. And he’d morphed into her gorgeous neighbor in a matter of an eyeblink.
Maybe that was it! Maybe she’d blinked and Max had chased off the bear and she just thought she saw him shrinking down in size, the bristly fur evaporating and turning into bronzed skin. Recalling Max’s naked form warmed her, making her squirm a little.
And now that the image was in her head, it was impossible to unsee. Max standing outside the gate, shimmering in the moonlight. Every muscle on his body highlighted by the moon. His long legs were lean and oh-so-lickable. But her mind’s eye kept traveling to that place between his legs, the place where glory lay.
Slapping herself lightly, Bethany told herself to snap out of it. Clearly a cold shower was in order. Maybe it would even clear her head a little so she could think things through.
Twenty minutes later, she padded into the kitchen, cuddled in a fuzzy robe, and started the coffee maker before cleaning up the broken glass in the sink. She was whistling a tune and felt quite content because she’d realized in the shower that she’d obviously sleepwalked during the night and had dreamed the shapeshifting episode. It was the only thing that made the slightest bit of sense.
Satisfied with what her waking brain convinced her was true, she set to work making a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs, her favorite. Just as she was sliding the over-easy eggs onto a plate, her phone chirped. Char-Char, the display read.
“Hey, Char! What’s up?” Her energy surprised her, making her wonder if she was overcompensating.
“I just wanted to confirm you’re coming tonight,” her friend said.
Shit, the party. Her good cheer was dampened by the thought of being the only person without a date at this thing, but Char didn’t ask for much from her so it was the least she could do. “Um, sure. Want me to come over early to help?”
“Nah, it’s handled.” Charlotte paused. “B, you sound weird. Everything okay?”
Char always knew when something was going on in Bethany’s life. That’s what best friends were for. “Yeah, just had a weird dream last night that kinda freaked me out. I’m cool now. See you around six, right?”
Bethany could tell Charlotte wanted to press the issue but she restrained herself. “Yup. Be there or be on my shit list forever!”
She knew it was silly, but Bethany was relieved that Max didn’t come back for the rest of the day. She felt kind of like the wife who has a dream her husband is cheating on her, then gets mad at him for it. It wasn’t Max’s fault she had an extremely fertile imagination but she wasn’t sure she really wanted to see him right now. Besides, she was a master of avoidance.
She still felt emotionally exhausted so tonight’s party was just what the doctor ordered. She’d have one drink too many, sing ‘Copacabana’ on Char’s karaoke machine until everyone begged her to stop, and try to put last night’s sleepwalking episode out of her head.
Even though Charlotte had told her not to bother, Bethany made a point of heading over to her house early. Char and Jacob had just moved into a sweet little starter home across town, and they were having a ball hosting parties for their various friends. Bethany had been invited to all of them, but at a couple of parties for Jacob’s work friends, she didn’t really know anyone so she just helped Char. It kept her busy and made her very popular whenever she’d bring out a fresh tray of yummies. Besides, it was much safer to play waitress than it was to open herself up.
She always worried that people who talked to her at parties were just humoring the boring girl. But tonight’s guests would pretty much be people she knew so she wouldn’t have to worry quite so much. She’d still feel like a third wheel ten times over, but at least she was tagging along with friends.
“B, everything’s under control. Why don’t you get yourself a drink?” Charlotte looked completely put together and unfrazzled as she prepared platters of food, stocked the picnic table outside with booze and greeted guests. She really was the hostess with the mostest.
Bethany had happily done whatever Char needed but the thought of a nice, strong margarita on the rocks made her taste buds tingle. She was thrilled to find Paul manning the makeshift bar because he had a heavy hand when mixing drinks.
“Buy ya a drink, little lady?” She rolled her eyes at Paul’s sad imitation of John Wayne.
Paul had a way of cheering her up — everyone, really. When he was in a group, he was always upbeat and perky, but Bethany knew there was a dark side to him as well. They’d bonded as the odd men out of their group — his gayness, her chubbiness, their combined singleness — and shared some of their personal demons. And when Paul’s demons came out, life got very dark for him.
But he was here, which meant he was feeling good, and that made her happy.
“Margarita, if you please.”
Paul scoffed. “Margarita?! What, are you a wimp? Here, try this.” He poured a shot — a very healthy shot — of tequila and handed it to her.
“Where’s the li
me and salt?”
He scoffed again. “In the kitchen, where they should be. Only pussies use lime and salt.” She squinted at his challenge, even as his eyes twinkled with mischief.
“A lady doesn’t drink alone, sir,” she shot back at him. His face broke into a grin.
“Deal!” He poured himself a shot, tinked glasses with hers and they downed them together.
“Whoo!” they both cried in unison, their faces twisting in boozy agony.
After they recovered, Paul poured them another round, snaked his arm through hers and dragged her off to a dark corner of the yard. Partygoers chatted and drank, though Bethany knew from experience that sooner or later, all that booze would disappear and the party would get wilder. Right now it was pleasantly mellow, her favorite time.
Once settled on a small bench, they sipped their drinks. “Goddamn, I love a good sipping tequila,” he said hoarsely after a particularly healthy sip. Bethany nodded her agreement because her throat was burning too much to speak.
“So,” he said, clearing his throat. “What’s new with you?” He eyed her conspicuously. He knew about Max, she could tell. Charlotte must have blabbed.
“Don’t be coy, Paul. It doesn’t become you.”
He rolled his eyes and sighed. “Fine. Spill.”
Bethany told him everything up to last night’s dream. She still felt weird about it, and she felt silly for it. Besides, it wasn’t relevant.
“Ooh, girl…” he crooned as he polished off his drink. “He sounds absolutely edible! Why aren’t you fucking him right now?”
Bethany shook her head at him. “Don’t be ridiculous. He’s not interested in me. He’s just being neighborly.”
“Why do you always do that?”
“What?”
“Put yourself down like that. Why is it so ‘ridiculous’ to think some scorcher doesn’t have the hots for you?”
Bethany flushed and sipped her drink. He was right, she didn’t have the best self-esteem, but for good reason. “You know perfectly well that the only guys I attract are drunken losers. Remember that asshole last year? Girls like me don’t get guys like Max.”
Laid Bear (A Werebear Shifter BBW Romance) Page 2