"Be back in a second, Frank," he called into the kitchen. He needed to break up a fight before it truly began.
He dodged a smattering of voices at his tables and pushed through his door. Grim lines turned down his lips. He stepped off the curb and jolted back at an angry honk.
"Fuck," he muttered and slapped a hand on the truck’s roof. Angry jabbering from the interior met his ears, and he quickly cast it from his mind. He checked for a clear the road and started his march through what felt like drawn battle lines.
Shana gave him a wide smile as she strode primly toward him. She smelled satisfied. He couldn’t see Faith through her windows, which meant Shana lobbed her grenades and walked away from the damage. Just like always.
His hackles rose as she neared. His wolf wanted to snap at her and chase her away from the town and away from Faith.
"What did you say to her?" His voice was thick. Too thick. The wolf rode him. Shana made the beast want to tear out of his skin. He was a monster around her, where Faith tamed him. One more mark against the Conri solution.
Shana’s smile upped in wattage. She cocked her hip, showing off her curves in such an obvious attempt to distract that he wanted to laugh in her face.
"You’re mine, Thomas," she purred. "You’ve always been mine."
She reached for him and tried to wrap her hands around him. One booted foot wrapped around his leg and pulled him close, as if she wanted to climb him like a tree. He held his hands high during the scrabble and put several feet between them. She wanted to make things public, then he’d make her rejection loud enough for everyone to hear. Let the damn busybodies know there was nothing to make right with Shana’s brand of crazy.
"Get the hell away from me, Shana. I already called my cousins. You never went back there, but they kept tabs on you. Found yourself someone out in the world, didn’t you?"
Her mask dropped. Hatred filled her eyes. Worry lingered somewhere there, too, but not enough to keep her from playing her games. She hissed. "You know you belong to me."
"And you belong to someone else. You disgust me. I’d never, ever be with someone who broke their mate bond. Go home. You’re not pack. You’re not mine."
"We’re not finished, you and I."
"We are. Leave Bearden. Go back to Wolfden, if they’ll have you. Just stay out of my life." He wasn’t her alpha and couldn’t make her obey his commands, but he let the power of his wolf roll through him. Dominance was what he needed to drive his point home. He needed to make her see he was serious.
Shana grit her teeth and tried to resist. Her eyes lowering was the first sign that he won. Her shoulders slumped and her hands shook. She tried to fight against that invisible wave of power that crashed against her. She lost.
With a snarl ripping out of her throat, she spun on her heel and stalked down the street. He watched with his hands locked behind his neck until she disappeared out of sight.
"You’re a stocking stuffing, son of a snowflake, Tommy Conri!"
Fuck. Faith.
She knocked the air out of his chest. Even right then, pissed as hell and wanting to fling her pain right in his face, she was the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen. How had he missed it all those years? Hurt was written all over her expression and scent. Hurt he’d somehow caused.
"Let me explain," he said in a rush.
"Please, explain how that woman has your mark on her. Explain why she was watching us last night. Why does she say she’s your mate and why doesn’t it sound like a lie?" She shoved papers at his chest. "And then, once you have that settled, explain why you are trying to force me out of business!"
She expelled a hot breath and looked away, no doubt trying to get herself under control. Anger crackled around her. She’d be pacing and swishing her tail if she let her fox take her skin. From the glow in her eyes, that was a possibility.
His wolf wanted to howl. They’d upset the pretty little fox and needed to make it right.
Tommy pried the papers from her hands. They could wait. Shana was the worst of it and led her list of accusations.
"Shana lied. I don’t know why she doesn’t smell like it. I never marked her. I never wanted to. I told you, she didn’t call to my wolf." He tried to gently tug her out of the middle of the street, but she ripped her arms out of his hands and glared.
Okay, this would be public, too. He caught the smug expressions from passersby stopping on the street. There were the Old Maids, no doubt hoping for a continuation of their stupid fucking rivalry. The firehouse crew pulled up chairs and stared, but he was certain their leers were for entertainment. Even Callum stood near with his hands locked behind his neck and a knowing grin on his face.
Tommy might as well dump his expense books in the middle of the road and strip down to nothing since the entire damn town was gathering for the second act of the show. Everything was on display.
"She left last year after I caught her cheating. She was supposed to go to Wolfden. She didn’t. She found herself a place outside an enclave and got mixed up with some rogues. One of them marked her. She had a rough time of it, from what my cousin Finn told me. Why she’s saying she attached to me is anyone’s guess. Maybe she thinks she can get away from her crew, maybe she’s looking for better times. It doesn’t matter because she’s. Not. Mine."
Never had been, never would be. He’d wanted to settle his wolf so badly he let himself be talked by his Conri cousins sending her. He should have been looking at Faith the entire time.
"And all this? You have an explanation for this, too?" She grabbed the stack of papers and shook them right under his nose.
Tommy snatched them from her and leafed through the paperwork. "Where did you get this?"
"Can’t talk your way out of this, can you?"
He eyed her sharply. "This isn’t what it looks like."
"Yeah? Then tell me what it means. Because it looks like you were trying to home in on my location."
"Faith," he said softly. Maybe he had it wrong. Maybe that’d been her top concern. They were still new, no matter how attached their animals had grown. But her coffee shop, that was her baby. She’d grown it up while the town laughed and said they were happy making their own drinks for half the price. She ignored them, and they all came around.
He knew how that felt because he’d done it with his diner. Food joints came and went, but they both poured themselves into making their shops successful.
"You know I wanted to expand—"
"I know, but I never imagined you’d try to kick me out of my own place."
"Leverage," he spat out before she could cut him off again. "It was leverage. If I had your landlord interested, then I could use it to negotiate buying up my building and the one next door. That’d be enough space to expand the dining area and the kitchen."
That took the wind right out of her sails. Her shoulders slumped and she darted a glance to the watching crowd. A flash of red colored her cheeks. "You didn’t want my shop?"
"Of course not. I’d never get the smell of burnt coffee and stale pastries out of there."
Tommy inhaled and caught the scent of embarrassment. She’d been goaded, once again, into making a public spectacle. He shot a glare toward Bruce at the firehouse. He wouldn’t let her flail on her own the same way her ex had done.
So he did the only thing he could do and pushed himself into a far more ridiculous position in front of the town and her. He’d lingered on the edges long enough. He could stand a little public attention.
Tommy dropped to his knees. A thin layer of snow soaked through his jeans. He didn’t care. All that mattered was Faith turning to find him and covering her mouth with a hand.
"Faith." He grinned up at her. "Will you be my date to the rest of these idiotic holiday festivities?"
Surprise, relief, and irritation warred on her face, but at least he banished the embarrassment from her scent and the tension from her shoulders.
Her eyes churned to the gold of her fox laughing at him. The little beastie like
d his games. Faith did, too, judging by her huffed laugh. "You monster, I thought you were going to ask—"
He surged up to his feet and pulled her a little further to the center of the street. "To kiss you?" He flicked his eyes upward and she let out a tiny gasp to see the mistletoe dangling there. Maybe the town’s need to go overboard for every holiday had its perks.
He cupped her cheeks and kissed her softly. "My wolf chose you. I want you. When you’re sure, and only when you’re sure, do I want to ask you the rest. Until then?"
Until then, fuck the town and their rivalry. They wanted to see what was going on? They could witness him choosing her. Diner versus coffee shop was over and done. Now they were simply Tommy and Faith.
He slid his hand to the back of her neck and angled her face toward his. Her breath hitched in her chest the second before his lips claimed hers again. Hours since they parted to start their days, seconds since he last sipped at her, and she still felt new and amazing and perfect. Too perfect. There was a ninety percent chance he’d still fuck it all up, but he had her in that moment and he’d make it count.
Chapter 10
Tommy tried to finish out the day without glancing toward Mug Shot and searching for Faith. Tried, and failed. The resounding claps at their mistletoe kiss still rang in his ears.
One hour faded into two, then three. His wolf paced in his head. The beast needed to run, but not for the usual restless reasons. He’d made it through the day without wanting to strangle anyone. He was anxious to see Faith again.
Another hour until sunset, then two more until they both closed down for the night. He could hardly tear his eyes away from watching for her.
He could almost feel each time her eyes found him. She’d dance out of the shadows and pass by her window, shoving her curls out of her face. And his wolf nearly purred.
Yep. He had it bad for the curvy woman that should have hated his guts. For some reason, she still wanted to be near him. Maybe she was the crazy one. Maybe he liked that.
Tommy glanced at the clock, then right back across the street.
Smoke rose from the coffee shop. He knew what exhaust looked like, especially in the winter months when the hot air hit the cold outside. What’s more, it didn’t just billow from the roof. It streamed out the front door as the customers rushed onto the street.
"No," he yelled and sprinted for the door.
The fire engine a few doors down barely had time to let off one round of its screeching siren before it pulled to a stop in front of Mug Shot. The Strathorn clan jumped from the truck and bolted into activity. The hose was pulled from its coil and hooked into the water line. They split up, some heading around to the back of the building while others waited for the order to enter the front.
Sirens sounded in the distance, and flashing lights announced the arrival of the ambulance and police. Tommy didn’t see any of it. His heart pounded in his chest. Something felt wrong. The air felt heavy and oppressive, even beyond the heat from the fire and nerves wafting off the gathering crowd.
He scanned the crowd and even went as far as circling the damn fire truck. He recognized all the faces. The Old Maids looked supremely annoyed. Other regular customers had worry written in their expressions.
None of the faces were Faith’s. Sudden cold sunk deep into his bones.
Becca looked like she wanted to murder everything in her path. Red crept up her neck and she waved her arms in front of two firemen. The pair in front of her were done up in their turnout gear and he couldn’t tell who they were under the masks.
"She’s still in there!" Becca shouted and pointed toward the coffee shop.
Fuck.
Tommy moved before he had a chance to think. He tried to barrel through the slow preparations, but Cole set himself in his path. “Let me by,” he snarled.
The other man placed a hand on his chest. Tommy flexed into the touch. He’d draw blood if the man didn’t get out of his way. His mate was still inside. He couldn’t let her burn. Too many thoughts of her screaming and choking on smoke flooded into his mind.
“We’re in there. Let us do our jobs, man,” Cole hissed. He jerked his chin toward the two men hustling through the front door.
Not good enough. His wolf howled to go with them.
Callum stepped up behind him. The two brothers were powerhouses in their own right, but they didn’t understand. Faith was still inside. He needed to get to his mate.
"Cole, go. I got him," Callum said, dominance leaking out. His hands latched onto Tommy’s shoulders and held him back while Cole took over the hose and ran it through the front door.
Tommy snarled again and tried to shake Callum off. Fucking bear had no hold over him. All his little trick did was piss him off. Fucker was going to force him into fur if he didn’t let him go.
"Easy, Tommy. Easy," Callum tried to reason. "They’ll get her. Don’t go in there and make their jobs more difficult."
Fuck their jobs. He needed Faith to be safe.
It was an eternity before the door broke open again.
Graham ripped off his mask as soon as he hit the open air. He cradled Faith in his arms and marched her straight to the ambulance parked behind the fire truck.
Relief flooded through him at the sight. He ripped out of Callum’s grasp and rushed through the crowd. One of the paramedics shoved a mask into her hands while they continued to check her out.
“I’m fine, really. It was nothing," she insisted. Irritation flashed in her eyes.
Flames burst through the roof at that exact second. The gathered crowd collectively gasped and stepped back.
"Not nothing," Tommy growled a warning to the paramedic and gripped Faith hard to his chest. He needed to touch her and make sure she was real. Make sure she had no injuries. He doubted he’d let her out of his sight for a week. "Are you okay? Do you hurt?"
She blew her a clump of curls out of her face. Soot streaked her face, but she still looked gorgeous. Maybe more so for surviving whatever had happened inside. “Yes. No! I’ve done worse to myself. I just want to know what happened.”
"What do you mean?" Callum stepped up next to them. He raised his hands and put another foot between himself and Faith at Tommy’s growl.
He was spinning out of control. Faith’s fingers found his hand and squeezed. That tiny touch cleared the air and he could breathe again. Her thumb grazed over his skin and she gave him an understanding smile when he glanced down at her.
She drew him back to sit on the rear step. Calm. He needed to find calm. She didn’t stop touching him. His wolf stopped pacing in his head and pushed closer to the little fox at his side.
She tossed aside the mask and eyed Callum. “The walk-in door closed behind me and I couldn’t get out.”
“The handle had been twisted and the hinges busted and stuck in place,” Gray said quietly. Tommy nearly jumped. The man was a ghost sometimes, sneaking around without a sound.
“Someone did this on purpose?” Faith stopped her gentle rubbing and frowned. She looked like she was going to be sick.
Tommy glanced up as the crowd parted and he barely contained his howl of rage.
Shana.
She smirked and waggled her fingers at him.
“I think I know who.” He planted a kiss on Faith’s head and disentangled himself from her.
He ignored the confused calls behind him. Then he was jogging around others in the crowd. Shana couldn’t get away with what she’d done. She couldn’t be allowed to keep fucking with his life or with his mate.
He followed her around the side of the burning building. Rain from the hoses had turned to ice on the ground. Shana slipped to her knees and he hauled her back to her feet. Fury burned inside him. His wolf wanted to rip her to shreds.
“What the fuck did you do?” he demanded. His hand wrapped around her throat and held her against the building. It’d be so easy to shove her up, let her feet dangle while the life left her eyes.
He’d do it, too, if Faith hadn�
�t made it out of that fire.
Shana giggled. “You’re distracted, Thomas. I’m just clearing your head.”
"I wanted you gone, Shana. You just had to come back and fuck everything up. You couldn’t let it lie."
All playfulness dropped from her face. "Because you’re mine," she hissed. "I was sent to you. You couldn’t just throw me back to Wolfden."
"I was never yours!" he roared. "You riled my wolf up and made him more a monster than ever before. You should have stayed gone with whatever poor fool you tricked into marking you."
He twisted her arm behind her back and marched her around the building. Everywhere, eyes marked their approach. They could watch. They could listen. They could hear—again—him choosing Faith.
Tommy threw Shana down at Callum’s feet. “You’re acting mayor? You’re overseeing traitors from other enclaves?”
Callum nodded, eyes going from the woman on the ground to Tommy. Fuck, he probably looked insane. He felt crazy. Worry filtered through the anger and he shot another glance toward the buzzing activity and found Faith staring at him. Her eyes had gone gold and someone had handed her a rag to wipe her face clean.
Mate. He’d called her his mate. In his head, but the word finally sunk in deep. He’d known when he kissed Faith in the middle of the street. He’d probably known all his life. Shana hadn’t ever calmed his wolf. Faith made him feel whole.
“She did this.” He jabbed a finger at Shana. “She trapped Faith inside. She set the fire. She put everyone in danger.”
Shana’s eyes went as wide as saucers. "Callum, please. You know me. You know I wouldn’t want a fire spreading through the town."
Tommy growled. She was a shifter and grew up with shifters. Half truths came naturally to her. Her words rang of sincerity but didn’t at all absolve her of the crime. She might not have wanted the fire to spread, but she sure as fuck wanted Faith caught in the carefully contained blaze.
She switched targets when no one moved to defend her. A growl entered her tone as her innocent act faded away. "You’re being silly, Thomas. You’re too focused on that little fox. She’s making you stupid."
Her Christmas Wolf Page 6