by Amelia Jade
He didn't trust his bear to behave, let alone the rest of his body. There was too much about her that drove him insane with what he was sure—if he looked at it closely enough—was desire. But Garrett Hoffman refused to do that. He wasn't willing to let himself go down that path, no matter how much his bear wanted him to.
Emma needed him to be something else at the moment. To be strong and supportive while she did her job. Garrett could respect that, and would do whatever was necessary to be there for her. He just hoped she didn't provoke him too much.
His bear could only be contained for so long, after all.
Chapter Four
Emma
The last thing she wanted, Emma thought as the door closed behind her, was to be locked in an enclosed space for upwards of half an hour each way with one Garrett Hoffman. She wasn't sure if she could keep her hands to herself, not after the way the beers had begun to make her look at him.
Even now, as he climbed in she admired the way his arm flexed to pull the door closed, and how his jaw clenched ever so slightly as his fingers pushed the key in, turning it over rapidly to start the truck. His broad figure occupied the entire area of the cab around him, his physique and personality seemingly larger than life.
"How is it that you’re okay to drive?” she said, almost pouting.
Sometimes, she thought, being a bear shifter had its advantages over a normal human being.
"Well for one, because I only had two beers,” he teased. “Secondly, it takes a lot more than that to overwhelm my metabolism. You should know that,” he finished with a smile.
“I do know it. But that doesn’t mean I like it,” she said, the laughter in her eyes matching his own.
Talking with him was easy. Dangerously so, in fact. Emma would have to concentrate extra hard to ensure she didn’t make the same mistake with the rest of his bears. In all honesty, doing it with Garrett may have been the worst because he was the Alpha. The others would all follow his lead when it came to how he treated her.
Except Evan. He was a dangerous prospect all on his own, and she dreaded the idea of ever being alone with him. Not in the same way she was nervous to be alone with Garrett. With the Alpha, he was warm and alive, beckoning her to relax and simply be herself around him. But with Evan, it was a cold, sterile, and very bleak landscape that looked back at her. There was ice in his eyes and running through his veins, she was sure.
“You know, I only had that third beer because your crew is awkward,” she commented as they drove down the road, the sky clear and the moon shining brightly overhead, easily visible through the front windshield.
“Awkward? That’s seriously the best word you can come up with to describe those weirdos?” he said with a laugh, though she could tell his heart wasn’t in the last word.
“You’ve grown fond of them, haven’t you?”
“Believe it or not, I have. They’re like family, the little fuckers. At least they annoy the hell out of me like family does!” he finished with a laugh.
“Yet you’ve only been an active crew for what, a week now? And together for less than two. That says something about you, Garrett Hoffman,” she said, her tone serious.
“What do you mean?” he asked, suddenly on the defensive.
“I wasn’t speaking as a liaison there,” she said slowly, trying to diffuse the sudden tension that had erupted between them. She decided very quickly that she didn’t like it, and that she much preferred the easygoing relationship that seemed to be developing between them. It was almost like that of two professionals. Except for the part where he was smoking hot and she turned to putty each time he seemed to touch her. Which, she admitted in a very private corner of her mind, wasn’t anywhere near often enough.
“What were you speaking as?” he asked cautiously, relaxing a little at her words.
“A person, someone who only knows a hint of what you must be going through right now. Trying to forge a cohesive unit from the leftovers of others is next to impossible. But coming to care for those under your charge as well? That’s damn impressive, and very endearing.”
He glanced over at her, and she met his eyes square on, unabashed with the respect she felt toward him. The task that had been forced upon him was daunting.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice barely audible over the hum of the engine and the tires on the asphalt.
“You know, I did some background research into your file when I was assigned to the Ridgebacks.”
“See anything interesting?” he asked curiously.
“Oh, lots,” she said solemnly, though she couldn’t quite keep the smile off her face.
“Rats, I guess now you know all my nefarious plans,” he joked.
“Not really,” she said. “That’s one thing I don’t understand.”
“What is?”
“Why you took their offer,” she said. “There isn’t much on your life before you took the position, but from the records, you were only in Genesis Valley for a few weeks, a month at best, before the Kedyns reached out to you to make you Alpha.”
“So?” he asked, though she saw his grip tightening on the wheel ever so slightly.
“Who are you? Where are you from? I was curious as to your story.” Emma wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol, her own curiosity, or her desire to know more about this man she found herself with.
“Does it matter?” he asked.
“Yes. You aren’t like the others, at least not outwardly. They all have issues. If you put any of them in normal society, they’d kill somebody in a heartbeat. Most of them can barely survive here in Genesis, and that’s only because they know their Alphas will end them if they do anything out of place. Not you.”
Garrett didn’t speak for several moments, but she could see him forming the words in his head, so she leaned back into the seat and waited for him to talk. The silence, she noted, did not feel awkward, but instead was almost comfortable. Neither of them would ever feel forced to speak around each other. She would be content just to spend time with him, even if all they did was sit or lie there without speaking a word. But for now she needed to know the answer to her question.
“The reason you don’t know is because nobody does.”
Emma was confused. “That’s why I’m asking you now,” she said, not understanding.
“Nobody knows, Emma. Not even me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I don’t remember!” he said, his voice almost a shout as he slammed his hand into the steering wheel hard enough to shake the truck.
She pulled back into her seat, trying to put some more distance between them, but his outburst faded as quickly as it came.
“I’m sorry,” he said, glancing over at her. “I didn’t mean to lose my cool there. It wasn’t directed at you,” he reassured her, though the big, heavy breaths he was taking told her he wasn’t completely calmed down again.
“What do you remember?” she asked softly, not taking her eyes off of him.
“I remember waking up on the side of the road, right next to the ‘Welcome to Genesis Valley’ sign. When I woke up I knew my name, I knew I was a bear shifter, and that I could lead others. That was about it. I don’t even know how I knew that.”
“I didn’t realize bear shifters could suffer memory loss,” she commented. “And of course, if you suffered a head injury, your body would have healed before anyone found you, leaving no sign except for your lack of memory.”
“Exactly,” he said, looking at her sharply.
“Don’t give me that,” she said lightly at his suspicious look. “I’m not just a pretty face over here. I do have a brain.”
“That you do,” he said slowly. “I keep finding myself reminded of that.”
“Well, if you would stop forgetting it, then I wouldn’t have to,” she teased.
Then the full impact of her words hit her. A hand flew to her mouth as she blushed furiously, certain he could see it even in the dim light of the cabin. “Oh my God, Garrett, I’m so sorry
! That was such a horrible thing for me to say after all you just told me. Please, I’m sorry!”
But Garrett was too busy laughing to hear her.
“The look on your face!” he managed to sputter between howls. “Priceless!”
“Are you laughing at me because I felt bad for you?” she asked in mock outrage.
He nodded, still chuckling to himself.
“Seriously, Emma. It’s okay,” he said, trying to assuage her fears. “It’s only been a month and change now, but I’ve come to terms with it.” His face went serious as he continued. “I’ve been given a new chance at life. Whoever I was before, I was likely no good. So yes, in some ways I don’t fit in with the others here. But in other ways, I’ve got a chance. A chance to prove to them that if I can do it, so can they. That’s why I have to make this crew work, why I can’t let them down.”
Emma felt her heart going out to him. The passion and strength in his voice was unlike anything she had ever heard before. Garrett Hoffman, she knew, would give anything for his crew, even his life, if it meant that even just one of them was able to turn himself around.
“Why do none of your crew have a mate?” she asked, the words just slipping out before she could think them over completely.
They pulled up next to the Tongue and Flame before Garrett had a chance to respond.
“Well,” he said as they got out of the truck and walked over to her SUV. She hit the unlock button, popping the trunk open to reveal several bags worth of clothes and other supplies she would need to survive for a few weeks.
“Yes?” she prompted, as he paused to survey her belongings before grabbing most of them in one go. Show off, she thought to herself, snatching up the last few things.
“A lot of it has to do with their temperament, and what we’re trying to accomplish up there.”
“I see. You don’t think that having some women might help with that? I mean, the Diamond Crew almost all have mates, and look at them.” She had meant it to be helpful, but the sour look on Garrett’s face made her realize she had just compared his team to the apex crew, the lead hands. It was not a fun comparison to make.
“Well, the Diamond Crew are on another level,” he said ruefully. “Right now though, I just can’t trust anyone to have a mate. Unless everyone got one at once, it would create too much stress and tension in the Lodge, so instead I’ve effectively banned anyone from having one, including myself. I've told them that if something happens, we'll ensure it works out, but in the meantime all their bedroom activities have to take place in town, not at the Lodge.”
Strangely enough, Emma felt saddened by his comment. She didn’t say anything for a moment when Garrett spun the truck around, as she was busy evaluating where her thoughts were going. Then it began to sink in.
Oh no. No nonono. Not good. There’s flirting with him because he’s sexier than all hell, and then there’s what’s going on in your mind. Cut it out. Now.
So she did, chopping off the train of thought viciously, like she imagined Garrett did when wielding his old-fashioned pickaxe in the mines. It wasn’t something she wanted to do, but it had to be done. Flirting was fine, but beginning to picture more than that was something she couldn’t afford to do, not with what her job required of her.
Still…
“So, what will you do during the days?” Garrett asked, thankfully interrupting her inner dialog.
“What do you mean?”
“What does a liaison do while we’re up in the mountains?” he explained.
“I’ll be there with you,” she said, as if the concept of being somewhere else had never even crossed her mind.
“Absolutely not!” he said sternly, his eyes flicking off the road to focus on her, attempting to drill home his point.
Emma Labelle was made of sterner stuff than that, however, and his glare did no more than send a slight tingle down her spine. She liked the way his muscles bunched when he got mad. It was kind of sexy, though she refrained from giggling at him.
“I’m not a porcelain doll, Garrett. I can handle it. Not only that, it’s part of my job,” she said, brooking no argument.
He laughed, though she wasn’t sure if it was at her or her comments. “The thought never crossed my mind. But Emma, while you may be brave and resolved to do your job, which is admirable, what you are not is a bear shifter.”
“That’s kind of the whole point of me being there to supervise you,” she said dryly, a small smile flashing across her face.
“Perhaps, but one inadvertent swing from them is going to send you to the hospital, or the morgue,” he said, all humor gone from his voice. “My crew isn’t trustworthy enough yet. They get into fights. I will not be the one who has a liaison, not to mention a pretty awesome person, get killed on their shift. No way.”
“I’m coming up there one way or another, Garrett. Don’t make me use my authority to make it happen,” she said, almost pleading with him. The last thing she wanted was to have to strong-arm her way into things. It would ruin everything that was going on between the two of them faster than she could blink.
Garrett sighed heavily. “Okay, you can come up to the shaft entrance. There’s a small office trailer there. You stay with it. You aren’t coming into the mine itself, end of story. You can go to the Kedyns for all I care, but it’s not happening.”
She recognized the seriousness in his voice. He was no longer trying to be chivalrous, but was indeed recognizing that a clear danger was presenting itself if she went inside the mine itself. It wasn’t ideal, but she knew when to quit while she was ahead, and in this case, that time was now.
“Very well,” she said, just a bit more primly than was necessary. “But I still get to wear a hard hat.”
He laughed, the tension evaporating as quickly as it had come. “I’m not sure we have any fancy ‘supervisor’ hats lying around, so you may have to settle for a miner bear hat,” he teased.
“I don’t think anything miner bear related is settling,” she said, hoping he didn’t read too seriously into the many ways that could be interpreted.
“Well, that’s a relief,” he said, after which they fell into another of those comfortable silences, until the lights of Ridgeback Lodge appeared, growly rapidly as they approached.
It was then that she noticed Garrett becoming slightly fidgety. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw him begin to continually glance her way, as if he wanted to say something. She sat back, not saying anything, giving him plenty of time to speak up and say whatever was on his mind. In the end though, they exited the car without saying anything more to each other.
“Well, have a good night,” he said as she grabbed the last of her things from the truck. They had made one trip to her room already, but now she was headed back alone, with just a backpack and a file folder in hand.
“Don’t leave without me in the morning,” she cautioned.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, walking in the opposite direction.
She wasn’t sure what it was exactly that was causing Garrett to act so odd, but she sensed that pushing him at that point wasn’t the right thing to do, so she let him go. With a small sigh she hefted her stuff and set off for her room, crossing the darkened parking lot without fear. This was Ridgeback territory; she had nothing to be afraid of from them.
“What are you doing here?”
Or, perhaps she should amend that she didn’t have much to fear.
Her room was the last one that had been made livable. That meant that everything past her was shrouded in darkness at this time of day, with no lights. It was from there that the voice had come.
“Going to my room. What does it look like?” she replied tartly as Evan sauntered out of the shadows, stopping right at the edge of the pool of light from the bulb above her doorway.
“Looks to me like you’re putting your nose where it doesn’t belong,” he snarled as anger flared in his eyes at her unspoken slight to his intelligence.
“Oh, I wasn’
t aware that you were my boss,” she said, standing her ground.
Now was not the time to show any weakness. Not to a bear shifter. Standing up for yourself without retreating was the best way to deal with them. Indicate an ounce of weakness and they would be all over her. That didn’t mean she wasn’t quickly approaching the precipice of being terrified, but she wasn’t going to show it.
Evan took a step into the light, another intimidation tactic, and they both knew it. Did he really think this was the first time someone had tried to impose their will on her? Turning his tactic on its head, she took a step toward him. She had to crane her neck slightly to keep glaring at him, but she could see the surprise in his eyes, even if he didn’t move a muscle.
“I have a job to do, and we both know damn well that to do it, I have to be here. So unless you’re actually going to hit me, then fuck the hell off. Go try to hide whatever it is that’s making you nervous about me being here, because I bet you it’s not anywhere near hidden enough. And if it’s not, trust me, I will find it.”
Evan growled, an audible sound that rumbled through her system as he took another step toward her, his hand reaching out to hit her.
A second, much louder, much deeper growl stopped him mid-movement, freezing him solid. If there had been anger in his eyes before, they all but exploded with rage as he looked up and behind her shoulder. She had an idea who was there, but his next words confirmed it.
“Go away Garrett. This has nothing to do with you.”
“Like hell it does. This is Ridgeback territory, and as the Ridgeback Alpha, this has everything to do with me,” Garrett snarled, stepping past her until he was nose-to-nose with the former crew leader. “Now beat it.”
Evan stood rooted to the spot, his body trembling with impotent rage while his eyes blazed away at Garrett, but the Alpha knew his position and his business. Emma knew she was terrified of Evan in the few unguarded moments where she could admit to it, but the fallen Alpha was the first one to look away, not willing to outright challenge Garrett just then.
“I thought so,” Garrett said, his voice cold as ice as he drove his figurative sword home, twisting it just a bit, to ensure Evan remembered his place. “Go find somewhere else to be. Now.”