by M. L. Briers
BEAR-LY LEGAL
BY
M.L BRIERS
And
A.B LEE
Copyright © 2017, M L Briers
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced whatsoever without written permission of the author, except for brief exerts in reviews. Any unauthorised reproduction or distribution of the material herein is illegal and may result in criminal proceedings. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to the internet or distributed via electronic or print without prior consent.
Note from the Author;
All names, places, and incidents contained herein are purely fictional and have no basis in actual events or linked to actual Humans, Witches, Vampires, Werewolves, Lycans, Werebears or persons living, dead or undead.
Copyright © 2017, Cover Design by; Rebecca Pau at The Final Wrap.
Table of Contents
BEAR-LY LEGAL
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER ONE
~
“You name it – we ship it,” Curtis announced into the receiver of the telephone that could easily have been mistaken for a child’s toy within his large fisted hand.
He had been determined to start the day off on the right foot, with a spring in his step and a whole new can-do attitude to match it. He had a new advertising campaign running for the business that he’d designed himself, and he was looking on the bright side of life.
The bad mood bear thing was getting old, and it was something of a cliché. A cliché that he was about to shake off and start anew.
He listened. He grunted.
“We don’t ship that…” he offered down the line.
Justin cocked an eyebrow in his direction. The vampire was half pretending to read the fishing magazine that he held within his hands, but his real intention was to use it to peer out from over the top at the big bear shifter.
He watched in silent amusement at his friend who was standing behind the long counter that ran almost the whole length of the store front, and whose brow furrowed as he looked down at the computer screen in front of him.
“We don’t ship that,” Curtis muttered. “Or that…”
Justin chuckled to himself. He’d warned the man to be careful about his advertising, and for the last few days, since the adverts went live, the shifter had been getting a lot of calls – not all of them were good.
“Or that…” Curtis growled. The man’s free hand came up, and he slammed the top of the laptop closed, as a low growl rumbled within his broad chest. “Yeah – but – no that’s…” Curtis sighed. “I understand that, but…”
The bear yanked the phone away from his ears, turned to look at it, and then snarled.
“I think it’s already dead,” Justin offered, dropping his eyes back to the unseen pages and sniggering to himself. “You can’t kill something that’s already dead, bear.”
“I could kill you,” Curtis offered back.
“Point taken, but I’m not an inanimate object.”
“What the hell is wrong with these people?” Curtis grumbled another growl and slammed the phone down just a little too hard against the stand. The sound of plastic cracking echoed inside the shop and made Curtis growl harder.
Then he lifted the telephone and yanked the wire from the wall, bits of the plastic clip shot through the air, and the vampire shot out a hand and caught a piece.
“I warned you,” Justin offered, feeling mighty pleased with himself. He loved being proven right.
“I know you did,” Curtis growled back, tossing the battered remnants of the phone into the large box behind him with the others that he’d managed to kill over the last few days.
“You should have listened to me,” Justin crowed.
“I know – I know.” Curtis bent at the waist and fished out a replacement phone from his stash under the counter. He tossed it down on the side and rolled his big shoulders in frustration, hoping to relieve some of the tension within him.
“Can’t say that you weren’t warned,” Justin stirred the pot just a little bit more to hit home.
“Damn it, vampire – I know, ok? I get it,” Curtis growled, and grumbled, and then growled some more.
So much for his new start.
So much for his new attitude.
He was about ready to put his fist in the vampire’s face, repeatedly, like the man was a damn punch ball, and he was sure that he’d enjoy every moment of it.
Oh, damn, that would feel so damn good.
Curtis could even visualize it within his mind, and a small smile crept onto his lips at the thought.
“You’re thinking about hitting me, aren’t you?” Justin asked, folding the magazine against his lap and eyeing the big guy.
“I ain’t gonna lie,” Curtis replied with a shrug of his shoulders but said no more about it.
“Hmm,” Justin grunted back. “Be nice; sounds like trouble is coming.”
The vampire had heard the sound of soft footsteps clad in walking boots coming down the street towards the shop, and knew that a female was heading their way. Curtis’s shop was tucked back on the very end of a row, and the only stores that were next to him was a builders yard on one side and a tool hire firm on the other – he surmised that she – whoever she was – had to be heading to Curtis’ place.
“What trouble?” Curtis pushed up onto the balls of his feet and moved his head from one side to the other to get a look at what the vampire was talking about.
“What are you doing?” Justin shot him a look of pure disbelief.
“Trying to see what’s coming,” Curtis growled back.
“You can see around corners now, can you?” Justin shot back.
“Well, no…”
“And adding another few inches to your six foot five frame is going to help with that, is it?” Justin demanded.
“Ah, bite me,” Curtis growled, spotting the female as she appeared around the corner, and just before turned towards his shop.
“Tempting – not,” Justin offered back with his usual dry tone.
“Here comes trouble,” Curtis rushed out on whispered tones and tried to make himself look busy as he fiddled with the new phone and eyed her from beneath his dark brow.
Curvy. I like that.
Pretty in that plain way. No makeup, no fussing up her face – nice eyes.
He snapped his eyes down when she looked directly at him.
Blue eyes. I like blue eyes, green too, and… brown – ok, I like eyes. They are the windows to your soul. So, she has a nice soul?
No, that doesn’t follow.
She has nice curves. That’s always good.
I hate skinny woman – well, not hate, but there’s nothing to wrap your arms around, and you can crush them easily if I’m not careful.
I have to be careful around women. Humans. Small animals – everything, but the vampire.
“Your mind is like a spinning top,” Justin offered.
“Stop reading my damn…” Curtis bit the last word off as she reached
for the door handle and pushed open the door, allowing a rush of summer air inside.
Curtis refused to sniff, even though he was curious. Scenting the air could only ever lead to trouble, and he didn’t need trouble.
“Bear-ly legal?” She frowned as she strolled into the shop carrying a tall, reasonably thin box.
“Yep.” Curtis lifted his eyes and met hers.
Sure, he was male, and he wanted to allow his gaze to wander, but he’d been told by Justin that was rude and that human females didn’t appreciate being looked at as much as shifter females.
Curtis had decided that the trouble with humans was that they didn’t get naked around other people enough. He was sure that if they did, then it would sort out their no staring at boobs policy.
“You’ve spelled it wrong,” she announced, and Curtis frowned.
“What?” Curtis was still thinking about her boobs.
“Barely,” she said.
“No, I didn’t.” Curtis gave a small shake of his head.
“Sure you did…”
“Not,” Curtis snapped back. He was just about fed up with hearing it.
He was bear – where the hell was the problem?
“Did too,” she said back.
“I …” Curtis pressed his lips together to stop himself from getting into another argument. He pressed his palms down against the counter top and took a long moment to try to still his need to growl.
Apparently, good customer service didn’t involve growling, or arguing, or throwing people out of his establishment on their backsides. He was a whole new man.
“Be nice,” Justin muttered in that sing-song tone that always made Curtis want to strangle him.
The vampire knew that the shifter could hear him, even if the human couldn’t.
“I’ll take that under advisement, thanks,” Curtis replied, and she nodded. “Can I help you, or did you just come in to point out that my sign is wrong?”
“Had to have a little dig, didn’t you?” Justin muttered.
“Oh, someone rolled out of bed on the wrong side this morning,” she said with a grin.
Her eyes were wide with amusement, and her smile drew his full attention and made him hard in a place that he was glad was below the counter.
“Yes,” Curtis nodded slowly. “The thought of that damn sign being spelled wrong kept me up all night.”
“Oh.” She frowned, then chuckled. “Good one.”
“Thanks,” Curtis muttered.
He couldn’t seem to drag his eyes away from her, but he could hear the damn vampire sniggering just as clearly as if the man was standing over his left shoulder, leaning in.
He really did have an urge to smack that vampire in the head, and that urge was growing by the second.
“I need to ship this,” She said, strolling up towards the counter, and placing the box onto it; right in front of him.
Curtis was tall, but the box completely obliterated his view of her. He reached out with one large hand and pushed it aside.
“That’s what we’re here for. You name it – we ship it,” Curtis said with pride in his advertising campaign once more. He caught the vampire rocking his head from side to side as he mouthed the words along with him.
Curtis wanted to growl, boy did he, and it wasn’t like the old days when shifters had to hide what they were from the humans. He just found that some humans, especially females, were a little put off by it.
“Good, well, that,” June said, lifting her hand and pointing her finger at the box.
“What is it?” Curtis asked.
He reached for the laptop and fumbled with his thick fingers to get the top up. The thing whizzed to life.
“A plant,” June offered back.
“I’ll need to see it, just so I can say that I know what I shipped, in case someone checks,” he said, tossing up his broad shoulders.
“Oh, well, I’ve sealed the top.”
Curtis reached under the counter, and a moment later; he flicked out the biggest knife that she had ever seen.
Her eyes snapped towards the blade as the sun caught the polished metal. She took just one small step back from the counter and swallowed down hard.
“No problem, I can tape it back up again once I’ve looked,” he offered, but Justin was sniggering again.
“Ok.” She looked more than wary of the knife. “I have another nineteen of these in my car,” June swallowed again at the size of the knife in his large hand. It wasn’t as if he was pointing it at her, but it still made her heart race.
“Way to scare the human female.” Justin chuckled.
With a snort, Curtis ignored the vampire, but as he went to work opening the top of the box, he snatched a glare or two in the man’s direction.
“She’s fine,” Curtis muttered.
She’s freaking,” Justin offered back.
Then Curtis flipped the lid on the box and peered inside.
“Oh for the…” he grumbled a growl, pulled back and eyed her with contempt as he snapped the blade back into the handle. “Seriously? I’m not shipping that.”
“You said anything,” June frowned.
“Anything legal,” he growled back.
“Ok, now – for one, your sign says barely legal.” She tossed her hands onto her hips and stared back at him with a challenge in her eyes.
“That’s not an invitation to break the law…” Curtis grumbled another growl, but Justin's voice cut through to his ears.
“Told you,” The vampire sang out, and Curtis had never had much of a patience nerve before, but the one that he did have was being stomped all over.
“And two…” She scowled up at him from the other side of the counter. “How dare you!”
“How dare I?” Curtis growled back. “Lady, are you for real?”
Curtis scowled back at her. The woman was frustratingly good to look at, and kind of hard to be mad at, but he was trying his best.
CHAPTER TWO
~
“You’re a grubby little man,” June shot back.
“Define little,” Justin chuckled to himself, but when her head practically snapped around on her neck, and she glared at him with a look that would have put Medusa to shame, he swallowed the chuckle.
“Fine, big man. With a grubby little mind,” she snapped back at the vampire before turning the glare on Curtis.
“Fiery things come in little packages – like a firecracker that goes off in your fist and blows off your fingers. I’d watch this one,” Justin warned, still stirring.
“I do not have a grubby little mind,” Curtis looked at her as if she’d just dump a trailer load of horse manure all over his counter top.
“Oh, yes you do,” June sneered back. “Just because you’re up to your no-good nefariously wicked ways, does not mean we’re all at it.”
“At what?” Curtis growled.
“Wicked, nefarious, illegal, no good dealings!” she spat out every word, making certain that she got her point across.
“I never said you were!” Curtis growled.
“Yes, you did!”
“No, I didn’t…”
“It’s behind you – don’t look children!” Justin teased.
“You and your vampire sidekick.” She tossed a dismissive hand towards Justin, and the man was impressed that – not only did she know what he was – but that she’d had the courage to enter the shop while he was inside.
Most humans gave him a wide berth.
“I don’t have a vampire sidekick,” Curtis growled back.
“What’s that then?” June pointed an accusing finger at Justin.
“The man that makes sure I don’t eat my annoying customers,” Curtis growled back and watched the woman yank her head back on her neck in surprise.
It took her a moment to regain her composure, but he knew the moment that she had because she scowled up at him with fire in her eyes.
“Don’t you threaten me!” she bit out.
“Didn’t!�
�� he snapped back.
“Did!” she hissed.
“Ok, as much as I’m loving this pantomime that I didn’t even have to pay to watch…” Justin put in. He pushed up to his full height and tossed the magazine down onto the chair behind him. “Mummy and Daddy fighting is making me all unhappy inside,” he said, babying the both of them.
“He’s accusing me of something, and I don’t like it,” June huffed, folding her arms across her chest and hoisting up her breasts.
Curtis’ eyes snapped down to the creamy white globes that were forced up against the low neckline of her shirt. She gasped and twisted her face into a look of disbelief.
“Now, he’s ogling me!” she hissed like she had a coiled snake inside of her.
“I’m not,” Curtis grumbled a growl, but it only took him a moment to cave from the scrutiny that she was giving him. “Ok, so I did, but you shoved them right in my face.”
“I didn’t,” she gasped.
“You did,” he said grumbling another low, deep growl.
“Children – children, let’s take a moment,” Justin said.
He couldn’t believe how the two of them were going at it like cats and dogs. The woman certainly didn’t seem to fear the big, bad mood shifter.
“She’s trying to ship pot plants, and by pot, I mean the funky smoking kind,” Curtis said at the same time that June was talking.
“He’s being a big, nasty, growly, infuriating male chauvinist pig of a bear shifter, and accusing me of…”
“What?” They both snapped out at the same time.
“Ok.” Justin took a step back and raised his hands towards his chest. “I’m going to go back to my safe space now and let you two fight it out. No gouging. No biting. Do not swing for her.”
Curtis growled long and hard at Justin.
Hit a woman! He snorted his contempt for the idea. What the hell is he thinking? I’d rather cut off my arms.
“So, what do you mean – pot?” June demanded, dragging Curtis’ attention back towards her, and her hands went right back to her curvy hips again.
“What do you mean male chauvinistic pig of a bear shifter?” He growled back.
“Bloody obvious, isn’t it?” she snorted her contempt for him. “Although, you couldn’t even spell your sign right, so what hope should I have that you’ll understand English?”