by M. L. Briers
“It's spelled bear, as in, I am one,” he growled back.
“Well, how many people are going to get that? You…Muppet.”
“I told him,” Justin shook his head in dismay.
“Shut up, vampire!” Curtis growled.
“So, it’s not just me you have a problem with?” June said, and folded her arms across her chest once more.
To Curtis, it seemed like the woman had a decision-making disorder. Thrusting up her breasts with her arms under them, or thrusting them out towards him when she put her hands on her hips. Whatever way that he looked at it – and he was trying not to look – she was still putting them out there.
“I don’t have a problem with you,” Curtis growled.
“Could have fooled me,” she snorted.
“A rat with a lobotomy could fool you,” Curtis snapped back and watched her carefully when her top lip twitched with anger. “Well, I didn’t until you started being a witch about things,” he tossed out.
“Witch?”
She looked like she was chewing on something very unsavory, and he didn’t want to wait around for that firecracker that the vampire was talking about to go off. He was going to tell her a few home truths first.
“I have a problem with this pot.” He used both of his large hands to motion towards the box.
“It’s not pot,” she bit back.
“It looks like pot,” he growled.
“And you look smart – sometimes things aren’t what they appear to be,” she tossed back.
“Ha! She gets brownie points for that one,” Justin chuckled, and Curtis grumbled another low growl.
“And bear – ly legal?” She demanded, raising her eyebrows up towards her hairline and questioning his sanity with just a look.
“Told you,” Justin said, but the shifter didn’t want to hear it.
“That’s a play on words and my prices, little miss pothead.”
“And what about this – you name it, we ship it – rubbish?” she demanded.
“Told you again,” Justin added with a smirk.
“Yes, yes you did,” Curtis growled at his friend. “And no, no we don’t,” he offered to the woman that was annoying the heck out of him.
His bear was restless, and he was in danger of exploding – whether his bear burst out of him was neither here nor there – because he felt like his brain was going to explode in his head.
“False advertising,” June shrugged her shoulders and sneered at the man.
“It’s…” Curtis stopped on a growl. He bit down on his need to thump something that would feel satisfying – like the vampire. “Fine. I’m a male chauvinistic pig of bear shifter that lies about what I do – happy?” He growled.
“No!” She snapped back, her eyes flashing with so many different emotions that he couldn’t have got a handle on her mood if he’d tried.
“But, I’m still not shipping pot…”
“It’s Cassava!” she shouted back at him.
“I don’t care what breed it is, it’s not getting shipped from here!” he growled back, slamming his palms down on the counter top and reveling in the satisfying sound of the deep thuds as the wood shook. Then he leaned in towards her and met her eye to eye.
“Butthead!” she snapped back, slapping her palms down on the counter and mirroring his stance.
Curtis drew in a long, deep, calming breath through his nose – and the moment that her scent hit him – boy did he regret doing it.
CHAPTER THREE
~
“Ohh, nooo,” Curtis growled with a shake of his head that reminded her of a big old sorrowful bear. She could see it then in his mannerisms – his beast – but still, it didn’t worry her too much.
“Bear?” Justin twisted his head on his neck and eyed the big man. His eyes narrowed as he watched the blood drained out of Curtis’ cheeks.
“What’s the matter with him?” June demanded, on a scowl that just wouldn’t lift from her furrowed brow.
She was still as mad as hell at the man, but she didn’t want him to have a heart attack and die, or anything.
“I don’t…” Justin listened harder to his friend's thoughts, but it was like someone had put the man’s mind on a fast spin cycle, and everything was jumbled together.
“You really do need to leave – now,” Curtis growled out.
His chin lowered down towards his chest, and his eyes were darkening.
“Well, fine. If that’s the way, you feel.” June bit out.
She reached out and snatched up the box from the counter top; she was done with the man and his accusations. She was about to turn towards the door when Curtis’ hand shot out across the counter, and his long, thick fingers closed around her wrist.
“Not you,” He growled.
Then his eyes flicked towards Justin, and the vampire tilted his head to one side and craned his head on his neck towards the bear – listening to what was going on inside.
Mine…
“Holy!” the vampire exclaimed. “Ok, I’m just going to sidestep towards the door – hopefully avoiding the risk of getting chewed on by the bear,” Justin said as he did just that – edging closer to the opening as June watched.
“Wait!” She rushed out. She didn’t like the way that sounded. A vampire afraid of a shifter? That wasn’t good. “You can’t leave me here with – him.”
“I can. I will. And – I have too,” Justin announced on a rush of words as he moved closer to the exit.
Justin had heard it in the man’s thoughts. The bear had found his mate, and being a vampire, even of the friendly variety, wasn’t exactly going to go down well with a protective bear that hadn’t wooed its mate yet.
“Don’t move,” Curtis growled at her.
June twisted her head on her neck and gave him a sideways look that was a mixture of disbelief and suspicion. She tried to twist and turn her arm to break free of his hold, but the man wasn’t letting go.
“Good advice,” Justin nodded solemnly. “You just stay right there while I make my escape.”
“What?” June spat out, her head whirled around towards the vampire, who was almost at the door, and she shot him a look of disgust.
“No sudden movements,” Justin teased her, but when Curtis growled again, the vampire held up his hands in mock surrender.
“That’s not funny,” Curtis growled.
“None of this is funny,” June bit out. “Get off of me!” She yanked and pulled, twisted and turned her arm, but he didn’t let go. It was akin to doing battle with an iron vice.
The vampire rushed out of the door and slammed it firmly shut behind him. Then, he sidestepped to the large glass window, from there he thought that he should able to watch everything unfolding, and he wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Curtis tried to reassure his mate.
Now that the vampire was gone; he could take a breath, and his beast was calming inside of him.
“Then let me…” she never got to finish the demand as she wrenched at his hold, but he’d already let go of her.
June stumbled backward, and a moment later; Curtis had slammed one hand down on the counter top, and was propelling his body over the top of it to stabilize her before she fell.
“Don’t eat me!” She bit out in a rush of panic.
“I’m not gonna eat you,” Curtis growled, and his bear grumbled within him, taking immediate offense at her words. Man and beast were her protectors – how could she think otherwise?
Mine…
The beast reminded him. Not that he needed reminding.
The woman’s scent was full on in the air all around him, and he was deliriously breathing it in. He picked up the smell of fear that came from her and his beast roared at him. Out of shock at smelling fear from his mate; he released her.
June stumbled backward and found her feet, keeping herself upright, even on shaking legs. She had half a mind on the exit and the other half on what she could
do to be able to break free from the man or his beast, should either one of them attack.
There had been a lot of reports in the newspapers about bear shifters gone wild and attacking humans. She’d put most of them down to the shifters themselves being targeted by thugs and people wanting to fight them because of who they were. Now, she wasn’t so sure.
“Then, b-back off,” she stumbled over her words at the same time as she took a step back away from him and stumbled over the hard back chair, almost tipping over again.
Curtis’ arms shot out towards her to make sure that she didn’t hurt herself. That need was ingrained within him, and he couldn’t help it. But the way that her eyebrows shot up on her forehead, her eyes going wide with panic, and her lower jaw snapped downward told him that he needed to back off.
His mate didn’t trust him. Not yet – but she would. He’d make certain of it.
“Ok, now we all need to calm down,” Justin said from the other side of the thick plate window.
“You back off,” Curtis growled a warning at his friend. He didn’t need the vampire getting antsy and rushing back into the shop – that would be very bad for his bear.
“Don’t you dare go anywhere,” June screeched out, and both men felt a ringing in their ears at the high pitch of her voice.
“I’ll say it again. I’m not going to hurt you,” Curtis said, and he couldn’t help the underlying growl that rolled with his words, his beast was a little antsy, and who wouldn’t be? But, he needed to make her see that he wasn’t a threat to her, although, he doubted the growl was actually helping matters.
“Look, I’m sure you’re a nice guy and all,” she started. “And, I’m not one of those humans that won’t give you my business just because you’re a shifter. Not that you’re any good at the business side of…” she waved a dismissive hand when she heard another rumbled within his chest.
“You need to calm down and listen to me.”
“I’m calm.”
“No, you’re not. I can hear your heartbeat,” Curtis said, and his eyes flicked down to her breasts once more. He barely kept a hold of the growl that wanted out.
June slapped her hand against her chest like she was trying to silence her heart, and scowled back at him.
“Can you not listen to my – vital organs?” It just somehow seemed so wrong to her.
Justin chuckled from the other side of the window.
“Bad snooping bear,” he lifted his hands and made claws. “Grrr.”
“Seriously, vampire?” Curtis growled.
“Look, if you want to eat him – I can just…” she motioned towards the door.
“You can’t leave,” Curtis shook his head. That would be bad too.
“I can’t?” There was a fire that ignited back inside of her.
June was a woman that; when told that she couldn’t do something – liked to prove that person wrong. It was ingrained in her psyche.
“No, that would be – bad.”
Curtis needed her to understand that he had something to tell her and that his beast wasn’t going to just let her waltz out of the door. Not yet.
“Would it now?” She tossed her hands back onto her hips, and the man eyed her with suspicion.
He had to wonder if he’d just awakened that side of her again that was as fiery and as feisty as hell. That might just be bad too.
CHAPTER FOUR
~
“Are you going to get all claws and fangs on me?” June demanded.
“What? No!” Curtis growled.
Mine… Although, there was always the possibility that if she ran then his beast might just burst free and show itself. There would certainly be fangs and claws then, but not in the way that she was expecting.
“Are you going to kill me?” June asked, but she didn’t look so damn afraid of him anymore.
“No!” Curtis growled out. Both he and his bear felt wounded by her words.
“Then – I’m taking my business elsewhere because you suck!” She announced as if it was just about the transaction.
“Fine! I’ll ship your pot,” he growled.
“It not pot!” she bit out.
“Whatever!” he growled, tossing up one large hand in frustration. “I’ll do it, and I’ll do it for free!”
“For – free?” she twisted her head on her neck and eyed the man with a whole heap of suspicion, but the interest certainly danced within her eyes. “You really do suck at business, don’t you?” she muttered.
“I…” Curtis never finished that sentence as he grumbled to himself.
The woman was a frustrating nightmare of epic proportions, but she was also his mate. He didn’t have many options that were open to him.
He couldn’t dismiss her. He couldn’t eat her. He couldn’t do anything but woo her.
How the hell am I going to woo her?
She’s nuts!
A pot smoking – jailbird in the making – nutjob.
“Enjoy!” Justin chuckled on the other side of the window.
He’d read Curtis’ thoughts again, and it had amused the hell out of him.
“You…” Curtis lifted his hand and pointed a thick, stubby finger at the vampire. “Don’t get to speak,” he growled.
“Wow, you really do have the whole bad mood bear thing going on,” June muttered, and he snapped his eyes back towards her in a heartbeat.
“I’m…” Curtis considered his words. “Working on it.”
“How’s your work ethic, because I’d say you’ve got a way to go,” June snorted.
“Ditto!” Justin agreed, but Curtis ignored him.
“I need to tell you something…” Curtis said.
When Curtis leant his upper body in towards her and craned his head forward on his neck, she pulled her upper body back from the closeness that he’d caused with his actions.
“Please don’t,” June offered back, and the man scowled.
“But…?”
Mine…
“I get the feeling that I’m probably not going to like it,” June gave just the smallest wince, but he caught it.
“She’s probably right on that one,” Justin sniggered.
“Fine…” Curtis grumbled. “I can wait.”
~
~
~
“I can’t wait,” Curtis growled a whisper to Justin as he hoisted a large box full of her pot-plants into the crook of his arm and reached for another one.
“Toilet’s at the back of the shop, but if you must crap in the woods…” Justin gave him a slow to boil, pure, one hundred percent smirk that irritated him more than the vampire could ever have hoped to achieve.
“I would rip off your head, but I have a human mate, and I just plain hate to hear a woman scream,” Curtis offered back.
“My head?” Justin snorted. “I’d just grow it back to really miff you off.”
“You probably would,” Curtis grumbled back. “But, none of this is helping me with my little problem, now is it?”
“Look, I’m not a damn doctor,” Justin snorted back.
“Huh?” Curtis was trying to keep one watchful eye on his mate and figure out what the hell vampire was going on about.
He’d never been good at multitasking, but finding his mate seemed to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. He couldn’t keep his mind on one chain of thought for long enough to remember to do little more than breathe.
“Your little problem…” Justin nodded his head towards that shifter’s manhood, but he kept his eyes locked on Curtis.
“Wha…?” Curtis grumbled a growl. “You know full well that I don’t have that kind of a problem!”
“I know no such thing.”
“And it’s not little.”
“Oversharing is a bad thing.”
“I kind of wish I did have that problem right now. I only have to look at her, and don’t even go there with her scent,” Curtis grumbled, shifting the boxes within his arms to cover the hard length that bulged a
gainst the material of his jeans.
“Can we talk about something else? I really don’t have an opinion about your manhood, nor do I want to talk about it.”
“I was just saying,” Curtis grumbled some more and then mumbled a few choice words as he stalked back towards the shop.
“I’m paying for shipping!” June announced the moment that he put one foot back inside of the shop, and he pulled up short like she’d fired a starter’s pistol beside his ear.
“That’s…” he scowled at her, unsure what to say.
“I won’t take no for an answer, and I’m not looking for any favors,” she raised her chin and looked anywhere but at him. “Even if you did accuse me of being a pot grower and seller.”
“I still say it looks like pot,” Curtis announced as he started toward the counter, towards where she was standing.
“I still say you look smart,” she shot back.
“Point taken,” he offered back before muttering something to himself.
“They’re all going to the same distributor…” she started, and he rolled his eyes.
“Dear God, you have a distributor,” he grumbled.
CHAPTER FIVE
~
“For shipping off to the different research projects that requested them,” she bit down on every word.
“So, are they for medicinal purposes?” He asked.
June closed her eyes and gave a small shake of her head. The man was as annoying as hell, and if she wasn’t a nice person then she might just have thrown something at his head.
“Yes, ok. There, you got me. I grow pot and sell them for medicine.” She tossed up a hand in the air and let it fall onto the counter. “Does that make you happy, ease your conscience, and get you off my back?”
Curtis felt his bear raise its attention up a notch or two. The thought of her being in front of him, naked, and with her bare back showing to him while he… Curtis shook his head on a deep, hungry growl of pure desire.