Copper King

by Vivian Arend

  Lillie nodded her approval. “I like.”

  Jim flipped his jacket over, and Lillie left her perch to peek around him, clinging to his arms. His logo was an enormous bear head, definitely a grizzly, and the banner said Don’t Miss The Branch.

  She puzzled for a moment before the children’s song popped into her head, threatening to become an unending earworm.

  God, that was hysterical.

  “I love it.”

  Jim grunted lightly. “At least the bastard didn’t use teddy bears like he did before.”

  “I swear the guy at the print shop had the biggest trouble understanding what I wanted. And he wanted me to give you his name.”

  A frown crossed Jim’s face. “Why?”

  Damon cleared his throat. “He says he loves bears.”

  “He didn’t know we were shifters, did he?” Jim’s eyes widened with understanding the same moment it hit Lillie.

  Oh my. “You’re not hairy enough to be that kind of bear.”

  Oops.

  Lillie covered her mouth with her hand even as Damon lost his serious expression and burst into peals of laughter.

  Jim shook his head. “Glad I could be of entertainment. Yeah, not enough fur in human form, and I don’t swing that way, so the poor guy will have to keep on dreaming.”

  His friend wiped his eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “I tell you, keeping a straight face was damn hard.”

  “I bet it destroyed you,” Jim drawled.

  “I love both your outfits, and you look great,” Lillie offered.

  Jim nodded his agreement. “I don’t know who you killed to get the outfits, but I’m keeping mine. We only need bikes to complete the set.”

  “Now that you mention it…” Damon looked her over carefully, nodding as she pulled on her leather jacket. “I think we’re ready.”

  He led them out the nearby exit door to where two beautiful motorcycles stood waiting.

  “Sweet.” Lillie walked around them, running her hand over the shiny metal and soft black leather. “Harleys?”

  “Mine is,” Damon confirmed, patting one of the bikes. He pointed at the other one that Jim was already throwing a leg over. “That’s a Ducati. Jim has more expensive tastes than I do. I had to splurge for the fancy Italian job for him.”

  “My friend, I forgive you for every sin you’ve ever committed against me.” Jim ran his hands over the handlebars, shaking his head slightly as he admired the bike. “Well, except for the incident when we were seven. That one I will hate you for until my dying day.”

  Damon pulled a helmet off his bike, pointing to the back of Jim’s. “I don’t know why you insist that was my fault. Bears swim, wolves swim. How was I supposed to know not all honey badgers like to swim?”

  “You weren’t the one she climbed on top of,” Jim growled.

  Lillie was thrilled to see a helmet for her as well, but she waited until Jim handed it to her, suddenly apprehensive to come between the two old friends. “I don’t have to join you. This is something special for you and—”

  “Put on your helmet and get your butt on the bike,” Jim ordered. Then his stern expression softened. “As long as you’re comfortable. You’re not afraid, are you?”

  She flushed slightly at exactly how comfortable she was. “Not if you’re driving.”

  His nod of approval sent warm tingles all over her.

  Damon held his helmet before him, his long limbs already draped over his bike. “That settles it. Let’s take them out and see what they can do.” He plopped his helmet over his blond hair and put his hands to the controls.

  Before she was in position, Damon was gone, tires spinning on the pavement as he took off in a squeal of smoke and noise.

  She tightened the strap under her chin. “I’m not slowing you down, am I?”

  Jim shook his head, lifting her into position behind him. He pulled her close, her thighs nestled against his, warm and intimate and completely safe as she wrapped her arms around his torso and held on tight. He took off slower than Damon, but the wind whistled past and Lillie found she was wearing a wide, goofy grin.

  Her last hurrah was turning out to be one of the best experiences of her life.

  Chapter Six

  They headed north on the highway, then off on a secondary road into the mountains. It hadn’t taken long for Jim to catch up with Damon, and they rode side by side, easing around corners as the landscape changed, trees beginning to thicken as they gained elevation.

  A sign flashed past informing them they were headed toward Mount Charleston. This area was familiar territory as well. Jim and Damon had played in the park before, but it was nice to be able to look forward to showing Lillie something different.

  And he appreciated Damon hadn’t taken them out for hours. Jim had worked Lillie over pretty hard last night, and the fifty minutes it would take to get to the parking lot at the trailhead was more than enough.

  She leaned against his back, hands locked around his waist. Every time there was the slightest bump in the road, her grip rubbed him and set his body on fire.

  The parking lot was empty when they got there. Lillie pulled off her helmet, her expression one of wonder as she looked around. “Okay, I confess. This is much more my speed than the casino floors.”

  Damon hung his helmet on the handlebars, pulling off his jacket. “Why did you decide to come to Vegas if you’re not comfortable around crowds?”

  For a second it seemed as if she was actually going to answer the question, and then that barrier went up. She hesitated long enough Jim was sure she was debating how much truth to include in her story.

  “I only had a few choices, and I always wanted to see Vegas.” She turned her back on them, pacing toward the wide map erected at the trailhead.

  Damon gave Jim a pointed look, as in See? She’s keeping secrets. And yet, as long as they weren’t terrible secrets, who was he to judge?

  He changed the subject before Damon could say anything out loud. “We have time for a bit of a stroll.”

  His friend removed his shirt, gesturing toward the box at the side of the trail. “Best invention ever.”

  Lillie poked her head around the side of the map. “A food cache?”

  “We put our clothes in them so no one steals our stuff while we go for a walk in our fur.” Jim held out his hand to her. “I donated this one so we’d have a safe place to put things.”

  “What he’s not telling you is before we had this here, someone once absconded with everything but our shoes. It made for an interesting trip back to town.” Damon winked, and she laughed.

  Jim inclined his head toward the trail. “Did you want to shift for a while? I promise it’s safe. No one’s going to get upset even if we are spotted.”

  Her smile was full of mischief. “You’re sure no one will think twice about seeing a grizzly, a black bear and a wolf hanging out together for the day?”

  Damon was already down to skin, stuffing his boots into the square metal box. “That’s nothing. I came here once with a few friends—a cougar, a lion, a couple more—and we were playing tag. Someone caught a satellite shot of the moment when the mink was chasing us all.”

  Her lips curled happily. “I’d love to walk for a while.”

  Jim knew it wasn’t necessary, not for Lillie’s sake, but for his own peace of mind he kept himself between her and his best friend as they stripped. He accepted her pile of clothing, letting his gaze drift over her creamy skin, the sunlight bouncing off her curves.

  She shook a finger at him. “I recognize that expression. I thought you said you wanted to go for a ramble, not a tumble.”

  “One, and then the other,” he compromised.

  She still wore her smile as she shifted, her petite human body transforming into the daintiest black bear he’d ever seen. Jim paced forward, squatting down to gaze into her eyes as he stroked her head. “Look at you. I could eat you up in one bite,” he teased.

  Lillie snappe
d at him before sitting back on her haunches, tilting her head to the side in the most adorable way.

  Jim tucked their clothing into the safe box and locked it firmly. Then he joined her, going down by her side. “How are you doing, sweetie?”

  Damon trotted up beside him, the silver wolf with black markings on his shoulders wagging his tail excitedly, typical enthusiasm pouring from his friend. Lillie wiggled slightly, then leaned forward and touched her nose to Damon’s. The wolf responded playfully, bouncing on his front paws from crouch to crouch, moving side to side, ready to play.

  Jim placed his hand against Damon’s shoulder and shoved him hard enough to send the wolf off balance. “Stop flirting,” he commanded.

  Damon kept rolling until he regained his feet, his teeth showing as he laughed.

  Jim turned his attention back on Lillie. “No problems meeting Damon’s wolf?”

  She shook her head before rising to her feet and closing in on him. He stayed still and allowed her to circle him, then she stood patiently, waiting.

  Only one way to find out if she could handle him. Jim shifted, the moment of change between the human and the animal rushing over him with a sweet, sensual tease. He was glad the stories were wrong. There was no painful grinding of limbs as their bones rearranged themselves. Whatever it was that allowed them to shift felt damn good.

  Looking at the world with his adjusted vision was amazing as always. The sounds around him were just as intense as in his human, but they somehow made more sense when he was in animal form. Same thing for the scents—growing richer and clearer with every breath he took.

  Lillie still waited for him, and he moved in closer, slowly rubbing their shoulders together. She didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she pushed back before prancing away nearly as playfully as Damon.

  Thank goodness. He had hoped she would trust him, but he knew his bear was a big brute. He’d frightened other shifters, even ones who weren’t nearly as timid as her to begin with.

  She darted off down the trail and around the trees, leaving the packed gravel and cutting across country toward the nearby ridge. Damon didn’t wait for the signal to run, the three of them moving into the wilderness easily as the sunshine lit the hillside.

  No matter how civilized shifters were, the mix of human and animal meant there was a part inside that would always crave the wilderness. This was the reason, even though Jim hated the thought of heading to the home he had in the north, he couldn’t give it up.

  Running with the others along the ridge gave him time to consider. He’d been going on sheer will power for the last year, hiding from the pain of his loss.

  Money couldn’t fix everything.

  And while his parents and he had been trapped in a cave-in, it wasn’t the darkness that left him waking in a cold sweat. It was the loss of family and connection. Bears didn’t tend to congregate often in the first place. Hell, they were such loners they’d even put conventions in place to arrange marriages between compatible individuals to ensure bear shifters didn’t vanish altogether.

  His enjoyment of being around others was rare, and he truly believed only his friendship with Damon had helped him get through those early months of despair.

  He still hadn’t returned to the home being built outside of Whitehorse. The last time he’d been there was with his parents, as he showed them the plans for the mansion. They’d approved of his choices—admired his successes, and teased him mercilessly about how big the place was, and how many children he’d have to have to fill the empty rooms.

  And now they were gone.

  A long, low howl echoed off the hills. Damon, letting loose a cry. His tone was somewhere between sheer joy and utter sadness, and Jim wondered again at the depths of his joking friend. The things that burdened Damon were so tightly wrapped up even Jim couldn’t pry the chains apart.

  He rambled to a stop beside his friend, bumping the wolf with his hip. Damon only howled louder, but this time a hint of laughter returned to the sound.

  Jim turned his attention to his mysterious woman. As a diversion, she’d been everything he could have hoped for and then some. He was already looking forward to spending the evening with her, even if that meant taking in a show instead of taking her straight to bed.

  He wasn’t sure if it was selfishness on his part, or if he was being kind by not delving deeper into her secrets.

  The only thing he knew for sure? He was damn glad he’d met her.

  It had been the perfect day, Lillie decided. A bit of everything—from shopping, to the trip to the mountains, to the enormous pile of In-and-Out Burgers they consumed.

  Add in the expression on the counter girl’s face as she’d taken their order for twenty-five burgers and eight orders of fries—hysterical. Especially when Damon had to go back and order a couple more, complaining he was still hungry.

  Buzzzzzzz.

  Lillie dried her hands on the towel, checking her texts as she left the restaurant bathroom.

  Check-in time

  Lillie wrote rapidly. Still alive. Having fun. No time to talk—going to show

  Still flinging?

  Yes. Gotta run

  <3

  The brief contact reassured her. Addie was there if needed, but so far, everything was going marvelously.

  All the way up to, and including, getting ready for their show.

  Fingers trailed over her shoulder as she put the final touches on her makeup.

  “Did you buy this today? It looks great.” Jim pressed his lips to her skin and sent goose bumps rising.

  Lillie hesitated. She didn’t want to tell him too much, but she didn’t want to lie either. “No, I had this with me.”

  He glanced in the mirror, adjusting his tie as he spoke. “Oh, in the bag you picked up from the valet.” He was deliberately not looking directly at her, she could tell. “I meant to mention. If you have a room booked for tomorrow night, why don’t you go ahead and cancel it. May as well save the money.”

  Her cheeks were flushed. “I didn’t want to assume. I mean, I know you guys are taking off on Friday, but I’d like to stay with you, only any time if you don’t want me around anymore you have to let me know—”

  He caught her gaze in the mirror and held her pinned in place with that alone. He didn’t speak for long enough she began to get squirrelly.

  When he finally did say something, it was in a low, careful tone of voice. “I’m not making any demands. No expectations. You’re welcome to stay with me, that’s all I was saying.”

  She nodded vigorously then turned away, cursing her situation.

  “Did you have any other bags you need to rescue?” Jim asked. “I won’t ask any questions, just letting you know you can tuck them in a corner here so they’re safe.”

  He was getting closer to discovering the truth every moment, and Lillie’s confidence wavered.

  Maybe this wasn’t a great idea, hanging out with a man like Jim. He inspired her confidence and made it all too tempting to spill the beans. And yet, it wasn’t as if she were headed into a terrible situation. She was okay with what her future held.

  Time to focus on the shining moments she had in the here and now. “My things are in storage. They’ll be okay until I go get them.”

  Thank goodness, he changed the topic, dropping it completely as he brought her hand to his knuckles to make her body light up with desire.

  “We’re sitting in a more private section for the show,” he informed her as they skipped the main entrance, and a side door opened before them. Uniformed servants slid out of sight as he walked her forward. “I thought it would make it easier for you to not have to deal with the crowds.”

  “I’m getting more used to them,” she insisted, squeezing her arms as he guided her toward a loveseat in a private alcove. “And it’s easier when I’m with you. I feel safe.”

  She didn’t get a chance to admire their surroundings, because the instant they were both seated, Jim leaned over and kissed her. She responded eage
rly, hungry for more of his touch. He’d been a complete gentleman the entire afternoon, stealing small caresses but in a way that she didn’t feel pawed or owned.

  She felt cared for. Valued.

  So as they waited for the show to start, Lillie curled her fingers into his hair and soaked in the pleasure he offered. And when the lights went down and the curtain went up, she was sad all she had was his hand in hers.

  Lillie snuggled against his side, pressing her palm to his chest as her gaze remained glued to the stage. He laid his hand over hers, outlining her fingers one at a time. A lovely caress that rooted her in place and let her relax from the small bit of tension that had come from having all those people around them.

  She caught herself stroking him, and as the music rose in the performance, a contented rumble escaped from the man beside her.

  “You keep doing that, and I’ll think you want me to pet you as well,” he warned, his lips brushing her ear.

  Oh. Well now.

  Temptation waved a set of pom-poms, and suddenly far more important than any of the acrobatics happening before her was discovering exactly what type of petting Jim had in mind.

  She stroked in circles, twirling her fingers until she discovered his nipple under the dress shirt. She kicked off her shoes and adjusted her legs so she could reach better, undoing the center button on his shirt and slipping her hand under the fabric.

  This time when she touched him she had fingers to bare skin. Brushing over the wiry hair on his chest to tease him, tweaking the flat disk of his nipple until he rumbled.

  Up on the stage the dancing grew wilder, the music a heavy drumbeat, and her courage rose. Lillie made quick work of his next two buttons, leaving his collar and tie in place, his shirttails still tucked in, but now she had room to stroke and caress his muscular abdomen. To drag her nails over his skin.

  What she really wanted was to undo his zipper and pull his cock free.

  And then the realization hit—why not?

  He hissed as she tugged at the metal tab holding back the solid rock in his pants. But he didn’t stop her. Not then, and not when she reached in and wrapped her fingers around the thick heat she found.