Kate
She woke up with a well-deserved pounding in her head. The thought of opening her eyes made her sick to her stomach. She knew the room would start to spin once she tried to get up. Her night had been a whirlwind of dancing, drinking and laughing. Kate couldn’t remember a time when she had laughed so hard. Even though she had ignored her friends while she holed up in her worthless house with Derek, they had showered her with encouragement and love last night.
Her body begged to be stretched out and nourished. Her stomach was growling. Apparently, not eating correctly for seven days and then binge-drinking made a person famished. Gradually she opened one eye, and then the other. Her stomach dropped immediately because she had no idea where she was.
Without thinking of her hangover, she flew out of bed. Thankfully, she realized her clothes were all still on. She frantically tried to remember the events of the night before. Most of the girls went home with newfound men. Emma had been right about the bar being stocked with unbelievably attractive men. What she failed to mention was that they were mostly shifter men. The room spun for a bit, and Kate tried to correct herself.
She groaned at her effort. Austin, the man she had spent most of the night skirting around, had been a shifter, too. Just like the rest, he had been drop-dead sexy. He was taller than any man she had ever been around. His hair was dark and shaggy, his body was riddled with muscles, and to top it all off, his golden eyes seemed to worship her. Nobody, not even Derek in the beginning, had looked at Kate the way Austin had spent the entire night looking at her.
As sexy as he had been, she prayed she hadn’t gone home with him. She had never been a one-night stand kind of woman, and she didn’t intend on starting now. Her life was a mess, but she refused to fall down a rabbit hole. Derek would love to see her fail.
A knock on the door grabbed her attention. She looked in the mirror next to the dresser and adjusted herself as best as she could. Then she opened the door and prayed she was at one of the girls’ house.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
Kate’s shoulders slumped, and she wanted to kick herself. Austin in all of his beauty stood in front of her. His tight gray shirt and dark jeans hugged all of his muscles in a way that should be illegal. Kate wanted to touch him just to see if he was real.
“Shit.” She cursed herself instead. Apparently, she hadn’t been able to control her hormones around Mr. Sexy on a Stick, and now she was a bona fide floozy.
“I’m sorry?” His eyes danced with laughter. She wanted to punch him then.
“I said, shit. You’re here which means I apparently went home with you last night.”
“Apparently.” He didn’t give her anything else.
“Well, so I guess we did stuff. Now I’m a whore.”
“You are not a whore. Do not refer to yourself that way ever again. Do you understand?” His eyes were dark, but not in anger. He seemed hurt.
“I’m not sure how else you classify a woman who gets drunk and goes home with a stranger.”
“A woman who was drunk and accepted a ride and place to sleep from a man whom she trusted. Although, yes, a stranger.”
Kate thought about what he said for a minute. It seemed weird, but there was something about him that was familiar. Familiar enough that she did, in fact, trust him. Her body didn’t feel as if they had done anything, and she had woken up alone and clothed.
“I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s been a while since I went out with my friends. I was afraid maybe something more happened.”
“I will admit that getting that drunk without a way home is stupid. Don’t do that again.”
She should have scoffed at his bossiness, but he was right. She nodded her head and tried not to smile. It was hard not to like the man. Last night alcohol had fueled her raging hormones into lusting after him. Today he was turning out to be just as appealing while she was sober. That thought shocked Kate into reality. Her divorce wouldn’t be final for weeks, and she was not about to jump into another relationship.
“I need to go. Is my purse here? I can call a friend to come pick me up.”
“There’s no need. I can take you wherever you need to go. Your purse is downstairs in the kitchen.” He turned and walked down the hall. She hurried to keep up with him. His home was impressive. Not quite as fancy as her own, or her soon-to-be previous home, but it was nice. Once they reached the kitchen, she saw her purse on the counter.
“Thank you. I appreciate you being a gentleman and all, but I’ll just give my friend a call.”
He shrugged and went about fixing breakfast. Part of her had expected him to argue; he seemed like the type that typically got his way. Not in the entitled way Derek was, but in an alpha male type of way. Maybe it was because he was a shifter that he seemed so much larger than life to her. He moved with ease and confidence, unlike any human male she had ever known. There was a power behind his muscles, not just some sort of pretty-boy muscle that boys got at the gym.
He turned and caught her admiring him. She saw him smirk before he turned back around. Without realizing it, she was back to smiling as well. Frustrated with herself again, she dug through her bag for her cell phone. Much to her dismay, it was dead, and she had no idea what Emma’s number was by heart. Damn technology was going to make it impossible for her to make the day easier on herself.
“Looks like I may have to take you up on your offer to drive me home.”
“Not a problem. Do you like your eggs scrambled or fried?”
“Fried, please.” It felt like the smile on her face couldn’t have been chiseled off. Something about him brought her peace. As much as she desperately wanted to slip out the front door and run for the hills, she sat down.
“Can I help you do anything?”
“Nope. Do your friends usually leave you behind at a bar?”
“I don’t know. Last night was the first night I had been out with them like that. Emma and I use to go out years ago when we were in college together, but we always stuck together then.”
“Well, you should stick together now.” She knew without him even turning around he was frowning.
“What do you shift into?” she asked, more to take the topic off of herself than from curiosity. Maybe it was an equal mixture of both.
“I’m a bear, a black bear, to be exact.”
“Could I see sometime?”
He turned to her, and his eyes were glowing. It was incredibly sexy, and a feeling unlike anything Kate had ever felt before washed over her.
“You’ll see soon enough, Kate.”
He set two plates of food in front of them and took the seat next to her. She smiled hesitantly, but then hunger won out, and she dug into her food. A few times Kate had looked over to find him watching her. He had an intensity to him that she hadn’t quite figured out yet.
“So, do you live in this part of town?” He broke their silence.
“No, I’m over in Old Metairie.”
“Fancy. It’s been a while since I’ve been over that way.”
“Once I find a place it’ll be a memory for me as well.”
“I overheard the group you were with talking about your divorce. I’m sorry.”
For some reason his apology made her laugh. It started off as a giggle, and before she could stop it, it turned into full-blown hysteria. Everything about her situation was ridiculous, and there was nothing she could do but laugh. One minute she’s married to her high school sweetheart. The next she’s sitting in a stranger’s house discussing her divorce over eggs.
“I really have no idea why I’m laughing. It just seems too crazy to me still. You must think I’m a nutcase.”
“No, not at all. I think your ex-husband should probably get his mental health checked, but you’re perfect.”
She could tell his comment was a genuine statement and not just a pickup line. There wasn’t a lot of fluff to Austin. He said what he wanted to say when he felt like saying it. Everything about him controlled wh
atever room he was in. She didn’t know much about shifters, but she did know that they had alphas and dominants just like in the wild. Austin came off as a very dominant shifter.
“Thank you. Derek would probably think differently, though.”
“Fuck Derek.” Her eyes grew wide. Her nerves about him taking her home escalated. Derek wouldn’t approve of another man dropping her off at the front door because of what it would say to the neighbors. If he would try to make a scene, Austin was definitely not the type of man to just drive off.
“Austin, you have to promise you’ll just drop me off this morning. Derek can be a bit hard to deal with, and you dropping me off will probably make him extra difficult. I’m just trying to survive until I can find a job and an apartment.”
“Can’t you just stay with one of the girls you were out with last night?”
“Maybe, probably, but I don’t want to. I went to college and then moved in with Derek and became a housewife. I’ve never really been on my own, and I’m tired of relying on other people to put a roof over my head. I want to prove to myself that I can do this on my own.”
“I can respect that. If he’s abusive to you, though, it’s stupid to remain there for any period of time. If he doesn’t like me dropping you off this morning, he can damn well take it up with me.”
“See that, that right there. Don’t do that. You don’t even know me to be getting involved. I just need a ride, that’s all.”
Austin grunted in response as he collected their plates and put them in the sink. He took her hand without question and led her through his house, outside. The car ride over to Old Metairie was quiet. Once they got to the far end of Jefferson Highway, she gave him the directions to her house. When they pulled up, she saw Derek’s car in the driveway. She wanted to jump out of the car before Austin could even stop.
“Thank you for everything, Austin.”
“Kate, can I have your number? I would like to get to know you better.”
“I’m sorry. I just can’t right now.”
He nodded, but his eyes weren’t on her. She knew without turning that Derek was coming down the stairs towards them. Austin’s eyes were glowing, but the color was dark with rage this time.
“Austin, please just drive off.”
Kate jumped out of the car and took off towards the stairs. Kate never even made eye contact with Derek, even though she could feel his eyes boring into her. As she walked around him, he stopped and glared at her all the way up the stairs. Once she reached the door, he had turned to follow her inside, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Austin’s car still didn’t budge, though.
“If you think for one second that I’m going to allow you to leave with that man you’re insane.” Derek’s voice was laced with venom. Even though he had no desire to fix their relationship, he wasn’t the type of man to let himself look bad to others. Her having another man so soon made him seem like he was the one that had been inferior in the marriage.
“It’s none of your business what I do, Derek.”
“As long as you’re under my roof, it damn well is.”
“What about you? You’re gone more than you’re home, doing god knows what, with whoever. Do I get a say in what you do?”
“No, but I also don’t flaunt them to the neighbors.”
“I’m not flaunting him. He dropped me off. How do they know who he is?”
“You’re wearing the same clothes you left in yesterday.”
“How do you know what I was wearing when I left?”
Kate turned around letting the door shut before they even walked inside. Fury had taken over, and she didn’t care who heard what.
“This is my house, Kate. I know what goes on inside of it.”
“Are you watching me?”
“Tell your boyfriend to get off my fucking property.”
“Answer my question, Derek, and he’s not my boyfriend.”
Derek’s face was red with anger. Kate knew he was desperately trying to keep his cool in case the nosey old ladies next door were snooping. She was on her way out of this hell hole, so she didn’t care. Knowing that he had cameras up anywhere in the house made her skin crawl.
“It’s my house. I won’t tell you again that I’ll do as I damn well please with it. You need to be more concerned about getting out of it, and fast.”
“You’re a piece of shit, Derek. You know what? I’ll get out right now. Let me just have Austin come help me with my bags.”
“If he so much as gets out of that car I’ll call the police.”
“And tell them what, Derek? That your wife invited a friend inside the home to help her with her bags?”
Derek grabbed Kate’s arm then and opened the door at the same time. Before he could shove her inside, Austin roared and was suddenly a giant black bear, just like he had said. He lunged towards Derek, his giant paw pinned Derek by the throat and up against the wall. His eyes were blazing with anger, and Kate wasn’t sure what he was capable of. She realized her fear wasn’t for Derek, though, but for Austin getting in trouble. Derek wasn’t worth Austin going to jail.
“Austin, he’s not worth it. Please, if you would help me grab a few things, we can go.”
Austin didn’t budge. Derek’s face was red from lack of oxygen, but Kate continued to focus on Austin. A growl was rumbling in his chest. Kate had never had anybody come to her rescue before, much less a shifter. Strangely, she felt almost honored to have Austin come to her aid that way. She was also slightly turned on by the whole thing. She reached out and touched the fur on his back.
“Austin, please.” He turned his head to her, and his eyes immediately started to soften. She gestured for him to follow her into the house. Austin turned back to Derek before letting him go and growled louder, letting his rage roll off of him. When he released him, Derek fell to the ground, coughing uncontrollably. Austin’s paw found Derek’s ribs and gave him a swift swipe throwing Derek to his side. Kate never even turned around. She ran her hands into Austin’s fur and led him through the house to her room.
“I’m so sorry to have involved you in this. There are only a few things I don’t want to leave behind. The rest of it can rot, for all I care.”
Kate didn’t feel ridiculous talking to Austin in his bear form. She knew he could understand her. His eyes followed her and he’d nod his head when appropriate.
She hustled around the room getting mostly sentimental items she couldn’t risk Derek tossing out. Deep down she knew this would be the last time she was ever inside this house. The marriage was over, and her heart had written Derek off. She turned back to Austin who was standing at the door, watching her. A part of her wondered if Austin had anything to do with her sudden acceptance.
She had read her fair share of romance novels to know that falling in love with a strange man only happened inside those pages. For some reason, though, she felt drawn to Austin. There was no tension or awkwardness around him. She felt comfortable and safe with him, more so than she ever had with Derek. Derek had expected her to represent him and their new status. It had been exhausting to Kate.
Austin would shake his fur out every now and then and huff. Kate wasn’t sure if that was bear talk for hurry up I don’t like here, or just normal. She watched him for a minute losing track of what she had been doing. His eyes were the same even in his bear form. They stayed on her, and they made her feel calm and safe. There was a part of her that wished she could have found Austin before she had ever met Derek. Before she had become an emotional mess, with no job and no home. He huffed again.
“Okay, I think I’ve got the main stuff.”
Austin followed her back out to the car. Kate started to wonder why he was still in his bear form. The threat was over, and her one-sided conversation was getting a bit old. Derek had been smart enough to not confront them again. Kate let out a sigh of relief once she had all her belongings in the car. Austin started huffing at her again and tossing his head. She had no idea what he was trying to say.
“You want me to drive?”
He shook his head.
“I don’t know what you want, Austin. Why don’t you just go back to a man this whole charades bit is annoying.”
His eyes darkened for a second as he considered her request. Then he took a step back and shifted. Where there had been a black bear was now Austin, in all his naked glory. Kate’s face went eight shades of red as she realized why he had stayed in his bear form. Much to her horror she couldn’t stop her eyes from roaming down his perfect body either. Every inch of muscle and perfection she had felt while they had been dancing hadn’t been a drunken mirage.
Finally she jerked her eyes back up to his. He had a giant smile on his face knowing the discomfort he was causing her. She threw her hand out to slap him back for him to only catch it. She tried tugging it back from him, but he just pulled it to his lips. Her breath left her lungs at his touch, gentle but strong. He placed a kiss on the inside of her wrist before he released her hand.
She ran around the other side of the car and jumped in before anything else worse could happen. The only thing that did give her great satisfaction was that she hoped Derek had camera’s pointing in that direction so he could watch it all. Austin slid into the car then with a pair of sweats on and a t-shirt. Kate let out a sigh of relief. Riding back across town with a naked Austin would have been embarrassing beyond belief.
“He’s a real piece of work, your ex. Does he do that kind of thing often?” The laughter that had just danced on his face was gone now.
“He wasn’t always this way. I guess that’s what they all say, probably, but Derek used to be different.”
“Where to now?” Austin asked her.
“You can take me to Emma’s house. She offered for me to stay with her until I get on my feet.”
“What about a job?”
“I finished college, but by then Derek’s career was taking off. I focused on finding us a home, remodeling it and just being a good wife. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to work; life just took over, and it never happened. Derek had me on boards for all kinds of charities and doing luncheons with his bosses’ wives. I’ve never used my degree, but hopefully, it’ll still be worth something.”
Seduction of the Bear (Bear Kamp Book 1) Page 3