by Amelia Jade
Inside his bear roared, eager to move forward, the practically feral animal screaming at him to fulfill his primal nature.
Knowing that he was in public, Justin mentally forced his bear down, not wanting to make a fool of himself, or even worse, drive this very interesting woman away.
Desperate to think of an idea, any idea, to talk to her more, he looked at the shops on the street. As if fate were trying to tell him something, two storefronts down to his right was a big-chain coffee shop.
Thank you, he thought, to whomever or whatever was looking over him.
“Hey,” he said, then stopped.
She stood up, turning back to face him. “Yes?”
He froze.
The beautiful woman frowned slightly. “What?” she asked, though there wasn’t any vehemence in her voice.
“I was just wondering,” he said, at last managing to force the words out.
She waited a second, then prompted him one more time. “Wondering what?”
Justin smiled and shook his head. “Did you want to get a coffee?” he blurted out, trying to make it seem smooth.
The woman hesitated, and Justin felt his luck fall away.
Chapter Three
Shay
“Did you want to get a coffee?”
Her stomach did a backflip. Shay wasn’t sure how to react. This was what she had expected him to say. Hell, if she were honest, it was what she had hoped he might say. So why was she so nervous all of a sudden, and unable to form her words?
Get yourself together woman, or he’ll just move on to the next one.
That wasn’t fair to her mystery biker, and she knew it even as the thought entered her mind. He might have the gorgeous good looks of a playboy, but the clear case of the nerves he was getting around her told her that he was, in fact, anything but that.
“Okay,” she said, following his outstretched finger to see the coffee shop two units down from where they stood. Shay had managed to get the words out when her mind was distracted, but now she was committed to spending more time with him.
As she watched, he hefted his bike again, using his tree trunk-like legs to do most of the lifting. She could see the way his arms bulged, muscles swelling in size as he kept it tight against his chest, walking down the road ahead of her. She could see his back through the rips in his leather jacket, and true to his word, fresh pink skin had covered up the cuts already.
Glancing down, she noticed he had forgotten his helmet. Snagging it with her fingers, she set off after him, easily catching up. His steps weren’t overly quick. No matter how easy he made lifting the bike, it was obviously a lot of weight for him to carry, and likely unwieldy as well.
“You forgot this,” she said, flipping him the helmet as he set the bike down and heading for the door.
“Thank you,” he said before darting ahead to pull the door open for her, using the helmet to wave her through first.
Shay covered a smile as she inclined her head royally in his direction, making sure he knew she was just joking with her feigned attitude.
“What would you like today, your majesty? Anything you want is yours.” He paused. “As long as it’s on this menu.” He pointed at the rather limited menu, frowning. “For a big-chain place, they don’t exactly give you a lot of options, do they?”
“Perhaps, but what they do offer is very good,” she said. “How have you never been here before?” She wasn’t positive about that, but his surprise at the menu seemed to indicate it.
“Uh, this is rather embarrassing,” he admitted, “but I don’t drink coffee.”
Shay tried not to snicker, but she was only partially successful.
“What?” he asked, spreading his hands out to the sides.
“So why ask to get a coffee then, if you don’t drink it?”
He arched an eyebrow. “I got you to agree to spend more time with me, didn’t I?”
Shay paused, her next words dying in her throat. He had a point. “And I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker,” she said softly, shaking her head.
“Don’t be too harsh on yourself,” he joked as they moved up to the counter. “It often surprises me when I manage something this impressive as well.”
Her laugh echoed through the small room, the sharp sound surprising both of them.
“Your order,” he said, gesturing to the counter.
Feeling embarrassed, she placed her order. Neither of them said much as they collected their steaming mugs and found a seat away from several other patrons. At this time of day, most of the customers simply walked in, grabbed their drinks, and left, so the seating area was relatively empty.
“So you know bikes,” he said, making it more of a statement than a question.
Shay’s guard came up, walls slamming into place immediately without her meaning to as memories bubbled to the surface. Of her racing days, of flying around the track, unencumbered by anything more than her protective suit, a roll cage, and a carbon fiber body designed to cut the air in the most aerodynamic way possible.
Memories of freedom.
Although she had settled on open-cockpit race cars, there had been a time when motorcycles and other forms of fast vehicles had caught her eye. Over the years she had developed a technical knowledge base on all sorts of engines and mechanical parts that would put many men to shame. Justin seemed intrigued by it.
That was the only thing that allowed her to avoid a complete shutdown.
“Hey, I’m sorry,” he said softly, setting his mug down on the table as he stared across at her, his eyes so icy-blue that they looked tinged with gray.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, she shook her head. “No,” she forced out through clenched jaw muscles, pushing the pain of her memories aside. “No, it’s okay. It’s not your fault, really. That was a perfectly okay question to ask. It’s just...” she paused, getting a handle on her emotions.
Another thought bubbled to the surface, and to her surprise, she laughed at it, a harsh, mocking sound. “I can’t believe I’m telling this to a complete stranger.
The shifter across from her beamed. “Well, that’s easy enough to fix. Justin,” he said, stretching his hand across the table. “Justin Renne, like the pasta.”
Shay’s mouth dropped open, and she began to laugh once more as she shook it, but this time it was a more relieved, joyful sound. “Like the pasta,” she echoed into her mug, her cheeks sore from the way her smile pulled at them. She took a sip.
“And you?” he asked as she sat back into her chair.
Her eyes flew open. “Oh my goodness. I am so sorry, that’s so rude of me.” Aghast at having ignored him, she sat up a little straighter, as if better posture could fix it. “Shay. Shay Lyon.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” he said, sitting back into his chair, looking at her over the rim of his mug.
“And I’m sorry for shutting your question down earlier,” she said, feeling relaxed now. “I don’t know bikes per se,” she explained. “But I’ve raced an open-cockpit style car for a number of years now, and in doing so, you learn a lot,” she said, getting the words out at last.
Justin sat straight up, eyes wide. “You’re a race-car driver?” he asked excitedly.
Shay smiled sadly. “I was.”
“But not anymore?”
“No, not anymore.” That was the first time she had said those words aloud to anyone, including herself. It felt like a punch in the gut, but at the same time, she was somewhat relieved, as if she had had a burden lifted by finally admitting it to herself.
“Oh,” Justin said. “Am I allowed to ask what happened?”
“Of course,” she told him, surprised at how easy it was to open up her life to him all of a sudden, now that she knew his name. “It’s really quite simple. I was always on the lower-level circuits. I had a couple of good years, built up some winnings. Last year I lost my sponsorship because I wasn’t doing so well. This year I went through the last of my winnings, and still wasn’t doing so well.
I had to let my team go, because I couldn’t afford them, or repairing the car.” She shrugged. It was so simple to boil so many memories down into a few sentences that summed up the past half-decade of her life.
“That…is very simple,” he said slowly, digesting all the information. “Though I have a feeling there is a lot more to it than that, if I were ever to get you to share.”
“Of course,” she agreed, before taking another sip, the piping hot liquid just now reaching drinkable temperature. “But you didn’t need an essay on my life right now.”
“Okay, so why King City then?” he asked. “Is this home for you?”
“No,” she said with a slow shake of her head. “I grew up all over the place. My mother moved constantly. No, I’m here looking for my father. It’s the last place I knew where he was.”
Justin sat forward suddenly. “He’s missing?”
She shrugged helplessly. “I don’t really know. I haven’t had a very close relationship with him. He was never really in my life growing up. Recently it’s just been email contact. But even that stopped about six months ago or so. That’s a long time, even for him.” She shrugged. “I didn’t have much left in the bank when it came to racing, but I can afford a hotel for a few weeks at least while I search for him. So, here I am,” she said with another shrug, not sure what else to do.
Before either of them could say more, his helmet buzzed.
***
Justin looked embarrassed, but she motioned for him to go ahead. With a grateful smile, he pulled it over his head, speaking in low mumbled tones for a few seconds before pulling it off.
“My friends are here,” he said awkwardly.
“Oh,” she said, nodding her head in understanding.
“I’m sorry about your father,” he said, not making any move to get up just yet. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
Shay shook her head, amused. “No, I think I’ll be okay, at least for now,” she said.
“I...” he sputtered to a halt with his words again as he rose from the table. “I had fun talking to you,” he said, and then practically fled from the table.
She carefully covered her face so the smile that blossomed on it wouldn’t be seen if he looked back.
Who was this man? She was thoroughly intrigued by him, and wanted to know more. One moment he was calm, confident, and possibly even a bit suave. Then the next he was intimidated by her. She wondered how long it would be before he realized that he hadn’t asked her for her information.
Shay blinked. How was she supposed to contact him, if she didn’t have his information? Did she even want to do that?
Yes, of course you do. Did you see the way his muscles bulged, or how firm his chest looked? On top of all that, he clearly likes speed, and is interested in you. What more do you need?
Outside, she could see him and one of his friends setting the bike into the back of a big black pickup. As they finished that, his friends cast some glances back her way. Justin tried to get them to stop, but she could tell by their body language they were teasing him about something. One of them, slightly bigger and with the look of someone in charge, gestured back at the coffee shop. Justin shook his head, until the man she figured to be the leader of his group—whatever they were—pointed more firmly this time.
Justin, looking embarrassed, came back inside. His natural confidence, which she seemed to strip him of, tried to reassert itself.
“So, I ran out of here without asking you for your phone number,” he said without preamble. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to get it. Perhaps we can arrange another coffee date. Maybe this time I’ll drink something else, instead of forcing myself to have coffee just to fit in.”
She giggled. “I don’t currently have a phone,” she admitted. “It broke a week ago, and it’s actually been rather nice without one.”
His face fell, and finally she relented.
“But I am staying at the Royal Palace Hotel. Room 606,” she said. “Give me a call there once you get your ride all fixed up,” she teased.
“I will. You can count on it,” he said, giving her a small bow before he left.
Shay shook her head, amazed at how he could be so shy one moment, and then so confident the next. It was actually kind of cute. There was another element about him though, one that she hadn’t thought of until just then. She recalled the casual way he referred to someone attacking him, throwing—no, kicking—a door off their vehicle at him.
That sounded…dangerous. Yet it didn’t seem to faze him, as if he were used to it. Her eyes narrowed. Now that she thought about it, many of his movements had seemed swift and sure, even when he fled from her in embarrassment, he had never once seemed off stride. His voice and face had reflected one thing, but his body language…that had never wavered.
Who are you, Justin Renne? And who is kicking car doors at you? And how is it you make me feel so electric when I barely know you?
Chapter Four
Justin
The next morning he meandered into the command room, still chewing on a piece of bacon, with several more wrapped in a paper towel in his hand.
He stopped short as he walked through the door only to find Madison leaning against a desk, her attention focused solely on him.
“I didn’t do it,” he said immediately around the bacon in his mouth.
“I’m sure you didn’t,” she said with a snort, pushing herself upright. “Sit,” she said, gesturing at their “command table,” in reality a folding table with a four by eight sheet of plywood attached to the top of it.
He quickly followed her command, noting he was also the last one there. Better not bust the bacon out just yet. Avoiding further attention seemed like the smart idea then.
Justin sat down and eyed their commander. Madison had quickly earned the respect of both him and the other Sentinels. The four of them were a team, so it was no surprise to him that they all agreed on that fact, but the speed of his trust in her as their leader had caught him by surprise. When she had first appeared in their midst less than a month ago, she had been a shy, timid creature.
He watched her giving orders, demanding answers and accepting suggestions, seeing nothing of that former person in her. Connor had said she felt at home in the Underground, and it showed.
“Justin.”
Uh-oh. So much for avoiding attention.
“Yes ma’am?” he asked cautiously.
“I’d like to hear a little more about what happened to you yesterday. Your report was rather vague.”
He frowned. “There wasn’t much to report, ma’am,” he said respectfully. “Everything was going as planned. Nobody saw anything other than normal. Then, out of nowhere, this expensive-looking metallic-silver SUV pulled up beside me. The driver was clearly wearing standard Agency gear. There were two men in the back wearing suits. One of them didn’t look over, but his body language made it very clear he was in charge.”
“And the other one?” Madison prompted as he paused for air.
“The other one, the bald man with the scar,” he said. “He’s bad news, but not as bad as his boss. I have no proof obviously, just gut intuition inferred from their body language. But he’s also not human. He clean kicked the door off their vehicle and at me in one smooth motion. He’s either Extremis or a shifter,” he concluded, sitting back in his chair.
Everyone knew the likelihood of him being a shifter was less than zero. The Agency was anti-shifter through and through. Their entire purpose behind existing was to farm shifters for their blood, to give their abilities to humans. Justin knew they wouldn’t harbor one of his kind within them. The man was an Extremis Agent, a half-breed shifter given a dose of serum that gave him the abilities of a shifter, except for shapeshifting into their animal. They weren’t sure just how the science behind it worked, but they had seen the proof that it did, and that was enough for Justin. He shook himself mentally as he realized Madison was still talking.
“What happened after that?�
� she asked.
“I crashed, then I waited for the rest of the team to escort the target to safety, and then return for me.”
“And what did you do while waiting?” she asked. “That was not in your report.”
“With all due respect, ma’am, it had nothing to do with the mission, and was of a personal nature,” he said firmly, letting her know he wasn’t willing to go down that path.
Madison eyed him momentarily, then jerked a nod. Justin sat back into his chair. That was why he respected her. She trusted her team. If he said it had nothing to do with the mission, she believed him. His crew knew what he had been doing, but he had asked them not to share it with anyone else just yet. They may give him grief, but they would honor his request.
“So the question is,” she said to the assembled group, “who the fuck are these guys?”
Justin glanced over at Jared. They had discussed this very fact the night before, in preparation for the meeting they knew was coming. That was after they teased him relentlessly for forgetting to ask Shay for her number.
He felt his cheeks heat at the memory. The two of them had been talking easily, but the moment he got up to leave, he had lost all control of his wit and charm. He felt like he was fifteen again, just developing his first crush on a girl and realizing how awesome they were.
The walk back inside had been worse. The small grin that pulled at her cheeks, the both of them knowing just how awkward he looked and was. Where the hell was the confident man that had been present just a few seconds earlier? Thankfully Shay had taken pity on him and given him her information, but Justin couldn’t remember the last time he had been in such an uncomfortable situation like that. She turned him into butter, and they had done nothing but talk!
Josh nudged him with an elbow. With a start he realized he had been daydreaming again.
Not the worst thing to get distracted by. She is quite beautiful…
“Justin? Earth to Justin?”