by Anya Nowlan
“Uhmm, there’s something you don’t know about Tom. He’s a… biker. You see, he’s part of this huge biker gang and they have chapters all over the country, and they’re really well connected.”
Bringing his hand over his mouth and pretending he was deep in thought, he managed to hide the smile tugging at his lips.
She’s creative, I’ll give her that.
“Wow, that’s uh… really something,” he managed to get out, conjuring up his most serious expression.
At this point, he seriously doubted Tom even existed, let alone that he was a part of some unnamed, scary biker gang. But something definitely had her spooked, and if she felt going out in public was dangerous, it probably was. So he decided to play along.
“I guess I’ll go into town by myself, then. Better safe than sorry.”
Carlie could hardly hide her relief, her body language betraying her, while troubled thoughts started to float around Devlin’s mind.
Who in the world is she this terrified of?
Devlin woke up in his huge bed, painfully aware of how empty it was. He had thought about sneaking into the other bedroom, scooping Carlie up into his arms and carrying her back to bed with him way too many times during the night.
Ultimately, he had decided against it. She was obviously stressed and afraid of something, this was not the time for his advances. He would keep her and Ava safe, and that was it.
His bear fervently disagreed, but he swallowed his growl and dealt with it. His night had been full of dreams about her regardless, and he’d kept waking up at the slightest of noises, constantly on the edge and expecting whoever it was that was after Carlie and Ava to show up at their door.
It hadn’t been the best night he had ever had, to say the least.
Devlin got up and headed to the bathroom, dark thoughts still making their way through his head. Just as he was done brushing his teeth, a tentative knock on the bedroom door made him turn around to see what was up.
“Come in,” he called out, only realizing a second too late he was still clad in his boxers and nothing else.
Stepping back into the bedroom, he saw the door slowly creak open and Carlie popped her head inside, giving him a shy smile.
“I heard you were awake,” she said, before suddenly turning away, her cheeks blazing red. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were… undressed.”
She peeked up at him through her lashes, and Devlin got the impression she wasn’t entirely as sorry as she would have him believe. Her sweet scent began to change, taking on the distinct tinge of arousal. With his senses, it was easy to spot. The tantalizing smell of her lust filled the room, making his bear claw at his insides.
I should be pulling her into my arms right now…
With all the willpower he had left – which wasn’t a lot – he managed to push the urge back down inside.
“It’s alright. What do you need?”
The question was innocent enough, but even he could tell his voice took on a different, even suggestive tone. Carlie looked up, her gaze firmly fixed on his face this time. Which was probably a good thing, seeing as his cock was already hard as steel just thinking about throwing her on the bed and running his tongue over every inch of her body.
“That’s the only bathroom in the house so…” she trailed off, pointing her chin at the door behind him.
“Oh.”
The reaction came out bluntly enough. He didn’t deny that for a second, a part of him had been hoping that she’d been missing his company as much as he had hers.
“Of course, it’s all yours,” he said, grabbing his jeans and pulling them on. “I’m gonna go into town and get some supplies. You can text me whatever you need, I’ll leave my number on the kitchen counter.”
Pulling a t-shirt out of his duffle bag, he rushed out of the room before his thoughts about Carlie got the better of him. Brushing past her at the door almost made him reconsider his decision to stay away, but somehow his legs kept moving and before he knew it, he was out of the cabin and standing in front of his car.
There was something to say for small miracles, in his opinion.
Walking the streets of Sweetwater, there was no shortage of curious looks thrown his way. In a town this small, strangers were bound to raise a few eyebrows, he knew that. Usually he wouldn’t mind, but with Carlie’s insistence on staying under the radar, he had to stay cautious.
Still, he couldn’t stop smiling as he strolled through the town. It felt like home. Far more so than any home he’d really had had ever felt.
He already knew there was a thriving werebear clan in town, and the polite thing to do would be to introduce himself to the Alpha, let him know there was a new shifter in town. But with Carlie scared enough to feed him ridiculous biker stories, politeness wasn’t a priority.
The last thing he needed was people asking him questions he couldn’t answer. People who actually would have a reason to know.
So he kept his head low and headed straight for the general store, running through a list of what they might need in his head. The blonde behind the counter gave him a friendly smile as he stepped inside, before heading to roam the tightly stacked shelves.
Throwing items into his basket, he was just glancing down at his phone to see if Carlie had texted him, when he heard the door swing open. Heavy boots hit the ground, and the accompanying scent was instantly recognizable.
Shit, another bear.
And if Devlin had smelled the guy, he had smelled Devlin as well.
The scent of a shifter was like a personal marker. It could be used to identify a person, but it got harder the more shifters were around, because the scents mixed and muddled together. Right now, it was just Devlin, the clerk and the stranger in the store. No masking anything.
Doing his best to stay hidden between the shelves and get out before the other shifter saw him, Devlin cursed his luck. It didn’t escape him that he’d come to Sweetwater to get more in touch with his shifter roots, and now he was all but running away from another bear. He didn’t have time to admire the irony of it at the moment, though.
It didn’t sit well with him, not one bit, but he also didn’t want to let Carlie down. He didn’t have much time to contemplate all the weird turns his life had taken lately, as a tall man with dark hair and eyes rounded the corner, immediately setting his sights on Devlin.
“Hello there,” the man said, studying him closely. “You must be the new guy in town.”
Devlin didn’t miss a beat, straightening up to his full height of 6’4’’ and nodding curtly.
“That’s right,” he replied, feeling his bear stir within him. “Nice little place you have here.”
“Yup. And I like to keep track of people passing through. Especially shifters.”
The man’s tone was pleasant enough, but his eyes boring into him gave Devlin the impression his every word was under scrutiny. He took a step closer until they were face to face, two towering men staring each other down in the middle of the cereal aisle.
If he thinks he can intimidate me, he’s dead wrong.
“And you are?” he questioned, already guessing the man was part of the local clan.
“Ethan Grimpaw, Alpha of the Grimpaw clan.”
The top man himself. I better keep the claws in, then. My luck’s got a weird sense of humor lately.
“Devlin Carter.”
“Care to tell me what you’re doing around these parts, Devlin?”
Bristling at being interrogated, Devlin forced down the growl building in his chest. Picking a fight with the Alpha really wasn’t the way to going unnoticed.
“My father used to live here before I was born. I got tired of the city and came to check the place out.”
It was short and to the point, but all true. Devlin was wise enough to know not to pick fights with a powerful local Alpha, even though he was also from an Alpha bloodline. They could probably go round for round, but Devlin was alone and Ethan had his whole clan close by. It wouldn’
t be a fair match, no matter how it played out.
“Sounds like you’re going to be around for a while. A longer chat’s in order if that’s the case. I heard you didn’t arrive alone?”
Devlin bristled immediately.
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”
“That’s a little hostile,” Ethan remarked, with a smile that was more a baring of teeth.
“I’m a private person,” he replied flatly.
Ethan seemed to consider this for a moment, before shrugging his wide shoulders casually.
“Fine. Guess I’ll be seeing you around.”
With one last assessing look, Ethan turned to disappear into the next aisle, leaving Devlin to think about what just happened.
That could have gone better.
Eight
Carlie
Sitting in the living room with Ava in her lap, Carlie stared out the window, feeling all sorts of cooped up. It was a beautiful day outside, and she could definitely do with some fresh air and sunshine.
I’m in the middle of nowhere. What harm could it do to go outside for just a little bit? There’s not even anyone around.
Ava wriggled out of her arms to try and crawl along the floor, probably feeling as restless as she was.
Okay, that’s it, she thought, scooping up Ava, grabbing a blanket and heading outside.
She took one last calming breath at the back door, glancing back and forth to make sure there was no one around. With a deep inhale, she stepped outside, cradling her valuable bundle.
After laying down the blanket, she rushed back inside to get some baby food before sitting down with Ava. The grass was lush around them, with crisp mountain air filling their lungs. It felt good, not having to hide or shield her face from passersby. She didn’t need to hide from anyone if no one was around, after all.
She fed Ava some veggie puree before letting the little girl practice her crawling on the blanket. The baby had already found a place deep in her heart, and hearing her giggle as she tried to grab onto a blade of grass made Carlie smile. She was strong and active for her age.
Stretching out her legs, she let the sun wash over her, thinking of what a perfect moment this could be without her picture blasted all over the news and Detective Silas hunting her down.
She’d always wanted a family of her own, but there was never anyone to start one with. Tom might be a figment of her imagination, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have a row of shitty exes to draw inspiration from.
But Devlin’s different…
Thinking of him led her down a dangerous path. The image of him standing in the bedroom in his underwear was all too clear in her mind. Once she got thinking about that particular image, it was hard to stop.
I mean, I’m very familiar with the human muscular system, and even I haven’t seen anything like that before.
Devlin looked like some fantasy composite people drew up online, Photoshopping their favorite celebrities’ best body parts together. With his strong arms, carved chest, hard stomach and strong thighs, he looked more like a picture in a magazine than a real person.
Yet he had been standing right in front of her.
And the look in his eyes told her he didn’t mind her seeing him like that one bit.
I should have made a move, said something, anything…
The sound of an engine cut her musings short, as she raised a hand over her eyes to get a look at the closest road. Butterflies crowded her stomach when she considered it might be Devlin, back from his supply run, but her gut sank when she realized the car was blue, not silver.
The vehicle slowed down as it crawled up a hill, and she could barely make out the silhouette of a man behind the wheel. It seemed like he was looking at her, but she couldn’t be sure. With her heart beating a mile a minute, she forced herself to stay still, to avert her eyes. Scrambling to get inside would only make her look suspicious.
Fuck! I should have stayed inside. I will never forgive myself if I just put Ava in danger.
The further the car got, the more she started to calm down. It had been so far away, there was no way the driver got a good look at her.
Right?
“Come on, sweetie, let’s get back inside,” she murmured, gently grabbing Ava.
She made her way inside with the baby in her arms, trying desperately to still her rattled nerves. Setting the baby down on the soft carpet in front of the fireplace, she sat down next to her and got out her phone. It had been turned off once she left St. Louis, and there were a ton of missed calls.
No surprise there.
Most of them were from her family. They had to be worried sick about her, but she couldn’t let that get to her now. There was no way she could call them back, the cops probably had this number under surveillance.
But she could use the phone to check up on the investigation.
Typing in the name ‘Samantha Rowland’ brought up page after page of different news sites covering her murder, and it seemed the investigation was focused mainly on Carlie and finding Ava, which made sense.
But Carlie still had a nagging feeling she had seen the woman somewhere before. Looking at the pictures attached to the articles, the feeling only grew.
The woman who had run into Carlie that night was disheveled and tired-looking. The photos of a smiling, polished Samantha were much more familiar. Thumbing past the first couple of pages of search results, she suddenly realized why.
Of course! She was married to Easton Rowland.
It had been big news when Fortune 500 CEO Easton traded his wife in for a newer model a couple of years back, that model being Samantha. Or maybe it wasn’t such big news, but the other nurses definitely couldn’t stop talking about it. Carlie hadn’t really been paying that much attention, but apparently she’d heard and seen enough to remember that tidbit of information.
Samantha had been a full twenty years younger than the mogul, and definitely looked the part for a perfect trophy wife. Easton was rarely seen without her on his arm, as the galleries of them attending all sorts of charity events proved.
Carlie kept reading, moving from one gossip site to the next, trying to figure out who would want Samantha dead. Could someone have tried to use her to get to Easton? But why kill her if that was the case? It didn’t make any sense.
And why go after the baby?
She stumbled upon a couple of blogs that suggested Samantha had been seen sneaking around town with a young man. The story was over a year old. One source even claimed they had pictures of Samantha and the guy, but going through the archived posts, it didn’t look like anything ever came of it.
But looking back on the newer galleries of social events Easton Rowland visited, he did seem to be alone at an awful lot of them.
That’s probably because Samantha was at home, taking care of their baby.
Still, Carlie couldn’t shake the feeling something was off about the whole thing. When she tried looking up Easton’s previous wife, Elizabeth, it seemed like she had dropped off the face of the earth after the divorce.
All Carlie could find out was that as a part of her prenup, she had been obligated to change back to her maiden name. There was some speculation that the contract also forbade her from making any public appearances, but there wasn’t any real proof of that.
Staring at Easton’s picture, his face smoother than any fifty-year-old she’d ever seen, she couldn’t help but find him unpleasant looking.
Dude definitely gives off a real Bluebeard vibe.
The sound of a car engine closing in outside made her hurriedly tuck her phone away, not wanting Devlin to see what she was up to. Yet the image of Easton Rowland stayed in her mind, filling her with unease.
She was in way over her head and she didn’t need any more reminders of that.
Nine
Carlie
Softly pulling the bedroom door closed, Carlie snuck one last glance at Ava before shutting it completely. Devlin had cooked dinner, which
they’d already eaten, and he was now waiting for her on the couch with two glasses of wine.
This could get messy, she thought, nervously biting her lip.
Her whole body pulsated as she took the seat next to him. When he grinned and handed her the glass of Chardonnay, she could feel her insides grow warm and gooey. She had never thought a man irresistible before, but then again, Devlin was unlike anyone she’d ever met before.
“She go down alright?” he asked, taking a sip of the wine, his eyes staying curiously on Carlie.
“Yeah, I think I tired her out pretty good today,” Carlie sighed, before savoring the first sip of her wine.
“How about you, are you tired?”
Heartbeat racing, Carlie found herself trapped in his blue eyes, running through all the different ways the question could be interpreted. It was hard to concentrate with Devlin’s knee bumping against hers, spreading heat up her body.
There was nothing about him she didn’t want. Kind, tough and sexy as hell, he was the full package. Why was she even trying to fight the attraction between them? It was like torture, letting flames of desire lick at her skin yet not giving in. She was tired of fighting, of always being on guard.
We’re safe, for now. Why shouldn’t I indulge a little?
“I’m wide awake,” she replied, surprised at the purr in her voice.
Carlie hadn’t been in a relationship in a while, her work being too demanding for a serious commitment, but her body still remembered what it felt like to let go and do what felt right. Wouldn’t this be one of those times, an opportunity to enjoy the moment?
Devlin’s eyes lit up as she took a little sip of a liquid encouragement, admiring the hard lines of his face. She couldn’t wait to see what hid behind those pesky clothes he was wearing, and from the look he was throwing her, she was hoping she would find out sooner rather than later.
“So am I,” he said, leaning towards the small coffee table to set his glass down.