“Nah. Though, I have to admit you’ve assaulted more men in this bar than any other man I know.” He chuckled. “These guys are used to getting knocked around, but usually not by a gir—” he stopped himself. “A woman,” he finished.
She lifted her head. “Do you think Ian can handle seeing me tonight? I could use a distraction and I bet he could use a friend. And honestly, if he tried to change I’d probably be able to beat the crap out of him.”
Of that, Luc had no doubt.
She might wear the clothing of a Fifth Avenue woman, but she had the fists of a prizefighter.
…
Luc sat with his friend a few minutes before he asked her to join them.
At first, the nerves took over, but she pushed them away. Being nervous around humans or animals only made them tense. Thank goodness she’d been addicted to the Discovery and Science Channels as a kid. At one point, she thought she might want to be a biologist, but art and business were more her calling.
The IVs were gone and the tiger-man was no longer chained to the bed. In fact, he sat on top of it wearing jeans and a t-shirt. The room was padded, but Luc had explained that was only to protect Ian if he shifted and tried to get out.
“Hey Ian,” she gave him a small wave and her best smile from the doorway. “Thanks for not eating me the other night.”
The men hooted with laughter.
Ian chuckled so hard he had a coughing fit.
“You are one funny woman,” he nodded toward her. She noticed he didn’t hold out a hand as a greeting even though they were no longer strapped down. When she glanced at his hands, his fingers shook slightly.
“Does it bother you for me to be here?” she asked.
He closed his eyes. “No, in a way it’s soothing. I was nervous when Luc explained that you were here. More because I didn’t know what it would be like when I saw you again.”
“Luc says you’ve been gone a long time.”
“Yes.” He glanced up at Luc. “Too long. I lost my way. I’m not sure how I ended up here but you were the reason I stayed around. I guess he told you that you look like my sis. But even that night, I knew you weren’t her. You made me laugh. I understood the jokes and for the first time in years I laughed.”
She smiled. “First time I ever performed for a Tiger. Not at my best. You should catch me when I haven’t just run from people who tried to kill me, smashed my truck into a tree and cracked three or four ribs.”
He winced. “Sorry about that. I didn’t see you coming. The blizzard had me slightly disoriented and I wasn’t feeling my best. My body, the animal one, had begun to deteriorate. I didn’t hear or see you until you slid. Then when you stopped, I realized that I’d done something to hurt a human. When I growled, it wasn’t to scare you. I sent a message to the nearest shifter who might heard. Must have worked because they said someone called in.”
“When you jumped in the truck, I thought for sure I was dinner.” She crossed her arms.
Luc watched them curiously.
“What?”
He smiled.
Then he nodded toward his friend. “You tell her.”
“There’s an old legend that says a woman will save the soul of a tiger and enlighten the bear.”
She snorted. “I think I’ve done more damage than enlightening. You should have seen me tonight.”
As she spoke to Ian, she noticed he relaxed even more. She did, as well. While talking to him, she felt so far away from her troubles. And as he shared his journey with her, her life came into perspective.
Everyone had their share of losses.
For hours they talked with him, she on one side of the bed, Luc on the other. An hour or so in, she had taken his hand and Luc the other. They were three lost souls without a family and now they had one with each other.
Temporary as the bond might be, she didn’t feel as alone as she had hours earlier.
When they left, she kissed Ian’s cheek.
“She smells like spring,” he said.
“Yes, and she’s mine.” Luc gave him a playful growl.
Ian winked. “Wait till I get better old bear, we’ll see.” He laughed, and then he stopped as if it surprised him that the sound was so genuine.
“You are a balm for a tired soul, Ainsley. Thank you. You calm me in much the same way my sister did. I think I may have you to thank for saving my life. You brought back my humanity.”
She felt as though she should be the one thanking him.
“If it hadn’t been for you, Ian, I’d probably hit a tree outside some other godforsaken town and I would have missed meeting you and that cranky old bear you call a friend.” She winked.
Ian and Luc chuckled.
For the first time, she felt as though she had real friends. They didn’t care how wealthy she was or who she knew. They only cared about her.
That knowledge lightened her mood.
And when she went home that night, she snuggled with her bear. Whatever the future held for her, she had to find a way to keep Luc and Ian in her life. They needed her, and she most definitely needed them.
Chapter Twelve
With his hands on Ainsley’s shoulders, Luc willed every bit of his strength into her. As they stood beside the crypt where her brother had been interned, her spine straightened. The warm-hearted Ainsley was gone. Since they’d arrived by private jet in upstate New York earlier in the morning, she’d said nothing. Not a single tear had fallen to her cheek.
For some reason, she was holding herself together. As the funeral home rolled her brother into the crypt, she put a shaky hand against the marble wall and closed her eyes. It was the only outward sign of emotion she’d expressed since they’d arrived on the frigid morning.
A noise behind them had Luc lifting his head in alert. His eyes searched the trees around them. Cody, who was on the right side of crypt noticed Luc’s shift in behavior and whispered something into his radio.
He hadn’t forgotten that her brother’s killers were still out there.
Luc placed himself between Ainsley and the trees and nodded toward the noise. They were being watched, and not by someone on their team.
Damn. Even with all their careful planning, someone had found them.
Ainsley followed the funeral home director inside.
Luc stayed in the entrance. She glanced back at him, but he acted as though he wanted her to have some private time to say goodbye to her brother.
Shoulders tense, he used his hearing to distinguish between the Feds’ footsteps, and that of the intruders.
He motioned four with his fingers and pointed in the direction of the trees to the left. They were backed into a corner in this damn crypt.
The town car they’d arrived in pulled up in front of the crypt.
“Ainsley, I’m sorry, love, but we have to go now.”
She shook her head. “I’m not ready.”
“I know, but honey we have to go now.”
This time she glanced back at him. The worry on his face must have shown.
“What is it?” She moved behind him, and he took her hand.
“Uninvited visitors.”
She bit down on her lip, but didn’t say anything.
“When I tell you, I want you to run behind me to the car.”
She nodded.
“Ready? Go!”
He dragged her behind him, shielding her the best way he could.
The FBI already had any information she’d known about but the cartel her uncle had worked with was out for blood. Killing off an entire family would show future prospects that they couldn’t be crossed.
As soon as he shut the door on the car, Cody took off. There was another screech of tires not far behind them.
“Get down,” Luc ordered as he shoved her down into the floorboard.
Cody handed back a gun and Luc twisted so that he could shoot behind them if necessary.
Wasn’t long before a black SUV fishtailed behind them.
The ca
r sped up and Luc stuck his hand with the gun outside the window.
“Don’t fire yet,” Cody yelled back.
Then he took a hard right, sliding onto the highway.
The SUV tried to follow, but the car slid sideways and into the concrete embankment.
Luc pulled his hand back inside. “Make sure the plane is—”
“Already done. You can let poor Ainsley off the floor. We have one of our own ahead and two more following us. We’re in the clear.”
Luc took a deep breath and helped Ainsley up.
Her hand shook, but her face held no emotion.
“You’re okay,” he hugged her to him.
She closed her eyes but didn’t say a word.
Worried she might be in shock he put a hand against her cheek. She was cold. He pulled her up onto his lap and held her tight, warming her with the heat from his body.
“I’ll take care of you, Ainsley. No one will ever try to hurt you again.”
…
Luc’s arm rested across the passenger seat of the truck where Ainsley sat quietly on the return to Clarksville. Five hours after arriving in New York, they were already back on the road home.
At least to Luc’s home. If her life weren’t in danger, Ainsley would have had no reason to come back with him. Cody had explained that everything would be resolved in a few weeks. They had traced the accounts, now it was a matter of getting proof that those involved committed the murders. The good news had been that her brother had been helping the authorities gather evidence. He’d only played along with her uncle’s schemes to help get to the cartel.
Her uncle had been messed up in some bad business with people that killed without thinking about it.
He shot a quick look at her. When they’d notified the FBI of their plan to fly to New York, one of the agents had gone to her house in Beverly Hills and picked up two suitcases full of clothes and personal items. The stuff had been waiting for them at the airport. She still wore the black dress and heels. She’d taken off the black wool coat and used it as a blanket, even though the truck was so warm, Luc could barely breathe. The somber color of her clothing matched her mood. She hadn’t spoken more than a few words since they’d left Clarksville early that morning. Even when they’d been chased, she’d been silent.
Luc didn’t judge. Everyone dealt with grief in different ways. He knew that better than anyone. But she also hadn’t eaten anything, which was really out of character, given how she normally dealt with stress or grief. He hoped to rectify that when they returned. He hadn’t been able to sleep the night before, so he’d made her several plates of brownies, a couple batches of chocolate chips and a German Chocolate cake.
Parking in the alley behind the bar, he turned to her.
“Tell me what you need, Ains.” He touched her shoulder lightly. She continued to stare out the window.
“Time,” she said hoarsely. “Let me have some time alone, please.” The passenger door opened and Ian was there to help her out of the truck. Luc could have killed him for interrupting. What did she mean? Time to heal? Time to gather thoughts? Or time to get herself together so she could move on with her life?
It was the last one he feared the most.
By the time he opened the driver side door, Ian had ushered her inside, his hand on her lower back. The Cress twins, who had also been outside the bar waiting for their arrival, followed close behind.
The last thing she needed was an angry bear but Luc had to make sure Ian understood that she was his.
Was she?
In the shifter world, he’d laid his claim on her the first time they’d made love to keep her safe, but that didn’t mean it meant anything in Ainsley’s human world. As far as that went, they were lovers who enjoyed one another’s company. Nothing more.
At least, that’s what he let her believe. She didn’t want or need complications. Yet the way Luc felt about her made the situation complicated. The idea of her leaving left his heart smoked. A shriveled up piece of meat that wouldn’t be good for anyone.
Damn. Why had he let her in? Why had he broken his vow to remain alone?
He should have shoved her back at the deputy the first time he laid eyes on her.
But he wouldn’t have traded their time together for anything. She’d transformed him. He could see that now. He was kinder and gentler when she was around.
“We put her bags in the bedroom,” the twins said in unison as they ran down the steps to the kitchen.
“Thanks. Can you guys get all the setups ready for the bar?”
The nodded.
Luc passed them on the steps, but turned back.
“Hey, don’t mess around with the knives. They’re to cut lemons and limes, not each other—and don’t eat all the maraschino cherries. Those things aren’t cheap. And if you sneak a beer, I’ll know.”
“Yes sir,” they said.
Creepy sometimes how they spoke at exactly the same time, but that seemed to be the way with twins.
In the entryway, he stopped cold. Ian had his arms around her shoulders and her arms were around his waist. Luc’s jaw nearly snapped, as he forced himself not to bellow.
Then he heard it, the soft cry. Ian was doing nothing more than comforting her but that was Luc’s job.
Ian must have heard him, because he glanced back and motioned with his head for Luc to join them.
“Luc’s, here love. Tell him. He’ll help you, too. We all will.”
What had she said to his friend, that she couldn’t tell him?
Muscles tightened in his hands and fists. Ian gave him a mean look, and shook his head.
“Get it together man.” The message was loud and clear in Luc’s head.
He knelt beside Ainsley. “Whatever it is, we’ll take care of it,” he said softly.
This only made her cry harder and he and Ian frowned at one another. She turned from his friend and wrapped her arms around his. This time the soft cries became a sob. At an odd angle, he had to scoop her up in his arms, and then he rocked her back and forth as if he were holding a baby.
Ian left silently. Once the tears subsided, Luc sat her down on the bed. After slipping off each of her shoes, he unzipped her dress and pulled it over her head.
“Hold on one second. I’ll get something from your cases for you to wear.” His fingers brushed her cheek, and she caught his hand.
“Don’t leave me.” She opened the drawer of the night stand with her other hand and pulled out the t-shirt of his that he’d given her. She wanted to be wrapped in him. That he could comfort her in that way brought light to his soul. Someone needed him.
It had been a long time.
After taking off her bra and slip, he helped her into the shirt. Then he stripped down and nestled her into his arms so he could hold her.
“When you’re ready, you can tell me what it is that is bothering you,” he said, gently stroking her hair. “But right now you need to rest.”
She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but closed it. He’d never seen her so quiet and he hated that his bright, beautiful woman was in so much pain.
His woman—at least for now.
Luc gathered her tighter. He’d hold on to her for as long as he could, and then he’d have to set her free. That time was near. But he’d have the memories of loving a woman so much he’d always do what was best for her.
Even if it killed him.
…
For the first time in a week, Ainsley was warm. Her mind numb, she blinked a few times to try and remember where she was. Then a light snore made her smile. She was on top of her bear.
At some point during the night, she remembered climbing on top of him and holding on. She was in the middle of a nightmare, and he whispered her awake and then soothed her back to sleep.
Safe. The man beneath her was the biggest teddy bear she’d ever seen. Hard to believe when she first met him, she thought he was a complete asshat. A sexy asshat, but an asshat nonetheless. But he’
d taken such good care of her and helped her through the second most difficult day of her life.
Chewing on the inside of her lip, she pushed against those memories. She’d made it through denial, the first stage of grief, in one day. Now she was angry. Or at least as angry as she could be lying on top of a giant, loving bear. There was no way in hell she would have survived the day before, if he hadn’t been there. That solid strength of him fortified her even as the criminals tried to take her life like they had her brother’s.
Once they were safe on the plane, she worried about all the responsibility that landed in her lap. Even with the scandal of her uncle’s misdeeds and her brother’s death, she still had a foundation to manage. Not to mention her own galleries, which were fortunately in the very capable hands of Marco, her second in command, and the rest of the senior staff.
Then there was her father’s multi-million dollar real-estate company. Her father had spent his life creating the company, and she refused to let it be ruined because of family scandal.
But she had no idea where to begin. Ian had sensed her turmoil and told her to say whatever it was out loud.
“I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do with my family’s business,” she’d cried. “I run a couple of art galleries, I have no idea how to handle a multi-billion dollar corporation.”
“You’ll do it with the help of your friends,” Ian said.
And that’s when she crumbled. She had friends in her art world but none that were equipped to handle what she was going through. The only two people she trusted implicitly were herself and Luc. She hadn’t known him long but in her gut she knew she could trust him with it all.
That’s where her insecurities came in. Would he want to take on all of this? Her baggage was one hell of a heavy load.
Her stomach gurgled and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten.
“I have cake, brownies and cookies in the kitchen,” Luc’s voice rumbled. He lifted her chin with his fingertips.
Damn, he knew her well. “Coffee,” she said as she kissed his fingertips and then rolled off him to her feet.
“I’ll make it, the last time you burned yourself.”
She rolled her eyes. “The last time there was a tiger growling outside of the window. Besides, I need to get up and stretch. I’m stiff, and I think I need you to re-wrap my ribs. Something feels weird.”
Lions, Tigers, and Sexy Bears, Oh My! Page 10