Green Bearets: Jarvis (A Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (Base Camp Bears Book 3)

by Amelia Jade

  The worst part was, he was fairly positive that Carrie wouldn’t stop him.

  Jarvis knew that most humans found his kind extremely attractive. They were all tall, fit, and covered in muscle. Carrie didn’t seem like the type to swoon simply over his good looks, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t immune to making a mistake if the right situation presented itself either. It was his job to prevent such a situation from arising.

  Best to keep his hands to himself, then.

  “My life,” he said, realizing he’d been quiet for a little longer than was normal. “Well, my life is a little out of the normal for shifters,” he told her.

  “How so?”

  His eyes gazed into the distance as he tried to form the words. To explain it to her.

  “In the shifter world, we value offspring differently,” he said. “To us, reproducing is a big deal, and the love between a shifter family is…intense. There are so few of us, you see, that each new addition to our world, regardless of race, is something to be treasured and valued.”

  Carrie was nodding along in understanding.

  “At least, that’s what I was told as I grew older.” He looked away. “I, on the other hand, was an accident. My parents never planned me, and they never wanted me. They did the bare minimum to look after me, until I turned twelve, and then they put me out to live on my own.”

  “Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed, clamping a hand over her mouth. “Your parents kicked you out at twelve?!”

  He nodded. “Life is different in the shifter world. Harsher. Less accommodating. We go to school, but the schools are organized by your race. So I learned with other bear shifters. About our past, about the world’s past. We learned about how things would change once our bears manifested. About the various options open to us once it did, such as the Green Bearets, for example.”

  “Sounds sort of like us and college disciplines,” Carrie put in.

  “Very similar, yes. We learned much of what you do as well, basic math, science, etcetera. But at a much more accelerated rate. By the time I was twelve, I would have completed your equivalent to high school, though it’s not quite as intense, and focused much more on real-world practicality.”

  Carrie snorted. “If only our system did the same. It dumbfounds me that we don’t learn a thing about taxes while in school. Or how to balance a personal budget. Or about the various types of insurance offered to us. The basics of buying a house, or how to interview for a job. It’s ridiculous how out-of-date our school system is.”

  Jarvis noted a strong undercurrent of bitterness in her voice, but Carrie didn’t seem to want to elaborate, so he didn’t push it. Perhaps there were bigger problems in the human world than he’d thought.

  “Anyway, they disappeared and I lived at a communal shifter house, for orphans and the like, while we went through puberty.” He shrugged. “Once my bear manifested, I spent every day pushing myself to become adept within its body. I quickly outdistanced those who had to work in family trades and such, as I had no such limitations. So by sixteen, I felt comfortable enough to enlist.”

  “Wow.”

  He grinned. “I was a sixteen-year-old shifter with nothing to do. I was a danger to everyone, including myself, if I didn’t find a purpose in life. I’m just glad that becoming a Green Bearet has done things for me in ways I could never have imagined.’

  “Really?” Carrie sounded extremely intrigued. “How so?”

  “Well, for starters, it provided me with a family, I guess. One I never had growing up.”

  A dainty human hand reached out and rubbed his arm. “It sounds like you found yourself a family that was deserving of you,” she told him.

  He nodded. “Now look at me. I’m like the father figure to half of these lovable idiots, and I’m barely thirty-five!”

  Jarvis had hoped that cracking a joke would break the tension that had formed the instant she reached out for him, her fingers making contact with his skin, leaving a trail of crackling electricity as his hairs stood on end. Her touch was driving him wild, but he couldn’t say a damn thing.

  It took everything in his power to simply keep walking without reacting to her.

  Carrie laughed, but her hand didn’t stop. Not right away at least, but she did lower it eventually, at which point he managed to inhale a ragged breath.

  Staying in close proximity with her could quite likely prove to be one of the biggest challenges of his life.

  The rest of the walk passed amicably, filled mostly with small talk. There were no more incidents of contact that would have pressed his luck when it came to respecting Carrie’s position.

  Not until they paused outside her door.

  “Well, this is my stop,” Carrie said, turning to look at him.

  He nodded. “Thank you for letting me ensure you got here safely.”

  Carrie glanced past him, eyes scanning the street. “Are you expecting any trouble for me?” she asked, sounding concerned.

  “No, no,” he said quickly. “I’m just from the old school. It makes me comfier knowing you’ve gotten home safe.”

  Carrie smiled, lowering her chin even as she looked up at him through her eyelashes.

  Jarvis felt his heart skip a beat. She was so damn beautiful! It was tough for him not to place his hand on her chin, tilting it upward so that he could brush his lips against hers. Every fiber in his body screamed at him to do it. To show her how he truly felt about her.

  But he couldn’t. His mind was stronger than the other urges, and he took control of his body and wrenched his focus back to Carrie, and not the image of her in his mind.

  “Well, I appreciate it,” she said, her eyes blinking just a bit more rapidly than they had to.

  Fire blossomed in his veins as his blood flowed ever quicker.

  Neither of them spoke after that, simply looking at each other as the silence grew.

  And grew.

  Jarvis had to stifle a particularly strong urge, his arm twitching from the effort of keeping it at his side.

  Carrie opened her mouth, and he held his breath, close to panicking. If she invited him in, Jarvis wasn’t sure he’d be able to say no to her.

  Please don’t. Just go inside. Don’t tempt me any more than I already am! I’m not strong enough.

  He was ripping apart on the inside as emotions warred with ethics, morals against desires. A battle that was being fought to a standstill. Any interference on either side would surely tip the scales. The only question that remained was which way would they fall? In favor of passion and need, or for respect and honor?

  Jarvis didn’t know, and it terrified him.

  Her mouth closed at last. “Thank you again,” she said quietly, and then turned her back to him, quickly opening the door and slipping inside.

  He heard the lock click, and his entire body sagged with relief as he practically fell back several steps toward the street, eager to put distance between him and the woman he wanted more than anything else in the world. That had been close.

  Too close.

  He would need to watch himself closely around her. It was only a matter of time before he slipped up if he didn’t.

  Chapter Five

  Carrie

  “Carrie!”

  She poked her head around the corner from the kitchen where she’d just been cleaning up from dinner.

  “What?”

  Andrea bobbed into view. “Let’s go have a few drinks tonight.”

  “Just like that?” she asked.

  “Yep. I don’t work tomorrow, and you obviously don’t. So let’s go have a few, maybe dance a little. Just unwind. What do you say?”

  Carrie contemplated things for a split second.

  “Sure, what the hell. It’ll be nice to get out of here and relax. Haven’t felt comfortable enough to do that since before.”

  There was no need to say what she meant by “before.” Before the shifters had torn the town down around them. Back when everything was peaceful and uneventful. When
she chased after assholes and worked an interesting day job.

  She wondered if things would ever go back to the way they were. Or was she now inextricably bound up in the ongoing shifter war? Things were…complicated with Jarvis. Whatever it was, it was there. The real question was what was “it”? Simple lust?

  Carrie didn’t think it was that simple. There was plenty of sexual desire; she wasn’t afraid to admit that. He was hunky and utterly worth drooling over. She had had more than one powerful dream about him already. Yet, that wasn’t all there was to it.

  “Okay, get ready!” Andrea said, pushing past her and heading for the stairs.

  “Oh, we’re going now?”

  “Sure! Happy hour appetizers at the Foggy Sailor are half-priced for the next hour.”

  Carrie looked into the kitchen where they’d just finished eating dinner.

  “Fuck it,” she muttered and headed up the stairs to the spare room.

  Sometimes it was good for the mind and soul to just cut loose and not give a damn about things, and for Carrie, it had been far, far too long since she last just did whatever she wanted, not what she thought she was supposed to do. Tonight was going to be one of those nights, she could feel it.

  She doffed the sweater and sweatpants she’d been lounging in for most of the day and fished some new clothes from her bag, including a bra. It had been a really lazy day. Night-out clothing hadn’t been high on her list of things to bring to her sister’s, but she had several outfits.

  Tight black pants and a white halter top completed the ensemble. It wasn’t going to be a crazy evening, just two sisters out to reminisce and laugh away the world.

  Carrie was excited.

  “Sis, what are you—”

  Andrea’s voice cut away as she poked her head through the door. “Damn, you clean up good, girl! That didn’t take you long.”

  She laughed. “I have exactly two outfits here for going out. My selection was a little on the limited side.”

  “I’d lend you some clothes, but…” Andrea said, trailing off as she glanced down at her underwear-clad body versus Carrie’s.

  The difference between the two could not have been more stark. While Carrie was taller with curves, Andrea was short, thin, and in her words “almost as flat as a board.” Clothes-swapping had never been an option between the two of them. Not since about third grade at least.

  “It’s okay, these are clean, and they work. So go put some clothes on, you voyeur, and let’s go get some apps. I’m already hungry again!”

  Andrea laughed and retreated from the room to do as she was told.

  Carrie, in the meantime, decided to do a little makeup while her sister got ready.

  ***

  They walked arm and arm into the Foggy Sailor, one of the sports bars in town that also had music and a dance floor. Neither of them were big on the two clubs that were in town. The crowds were young, and the guys far too touchy. They preferred a slightly older crowd, where people could handle their alcohol and still be coherent.

  Being that it was a Friday, the place was decently busy. It was still before eight, however, and so it wasn’t truly full just yet. Why the Sailor ran their happy hour until eight was beyond them, but half-priced appetizers were half-priced appetizers.

  Carrie couldn’t wait to get the mozza-sticks. Her mouth was already salivating at the thought. They were her guilty pleasure.

  “Where do you wanna sit, Sis?” Andrea asked.

  The bar itself was immediately to their right as they entered. A more formal dining area was off to the immediate left, blocked by waist-high walls. Straight ahead were pool tables. Behind them and to the left of the tables was more seating.

  Carrie noted the formal area still had a couple of families in it. Behind the pool tables there looked to be some sort of group gathering.

  “Over there,” she said, pointing off to the left of the pool tables. She didn’t feel like sitting at the bar tonight.

  The pair slid into their seats and within moments a server had come by and taken their food and drink order.

  “Thanks for this,” Carrie said as their drinks arrived shortly after. “I hadn’t realized how much I wanted this.” Her sugary, alcohol-filled drink tasted delicious just then.

  “Yeah, it just kind of hit me,” Andrea said, enjoying her martini. She sighed, smacking her lips at the taste. “So, are you ever going to tell me about this new shifter boy of yours?”

  Carrie felt her jaw drop. “Are you serious? You brought me all the way out here and are trying to ply me with alcohol, for that?”

  Andrea burst out laughing. “Sister of mine. You should know me by now. That was an ulterior motive. If I wanted to grill you, I would have just done it at home.”

  She had to agree with that, but Carrie was still shaking her head. “I’ve told you, he’s not ‘my’ shifter in any sense of the word.” She paused. “I just happen to think he’s cute, and I think he’s kinda into me too.”

  “You think?” Andrea said.

  “Well, I dunno. We’ve only seen each other three times. But there’s this… I dunno how to describe it. Tension, I guess? Anyway, anytime we’re in close contact I can feel it. The weird thing is though, he always backs away anytime it gets too strong. Like he’s afraid to let it run its course.”

  Andrea frowned at that. “Is he already attached?”

  “I don’t think so,” she said. “I haven’t flat out asked him, but the impression I’ve gotten is that his job is the only thing in his life right now.”

  “Right, his job as a super-soldier.”

  “A Green Bearet,” she said, smiling once again at the play on words. “And he’s an officer. A major, in fact.”

  Andrea snorted into her drink. “Yeah, I think you like him.”

  “Oh please. I’ve only seen him twice! Three times I guess if you count me going to his office.”

  “So why isn’t he making a move?” Andrea asked.

  “I have no idea. He walked me home yesterday and the moment was there. We were staring at each other; I was giving him the opening. But he didn’t take it.”

  Carrie looked away. “Maybe I’m just reading it wrong. Hell, I don’t even know why I’m letting myself do this. I’ve known him just a few days now. Shouldn’t I feel like, I don’t know, some hesitation?”

  Andrea looked at her, all humor gone from her eyes. “It’s different with shifters, Car. From what I’ve heard, they just ‘know’ if someone is meant for them.”

  “So if he knows, why is he being so hesitant? And I’m not a shifter. So why don’t I feel any trepidation?”

  “I’m not sure, to be honest.” Andrea looked thoughtful. Then she smacked the palm of her hand against her forehead.

  “What? What is it?” Carrie asked, frowning.

  “Girl, I know why he isn’t making a move.”

  “Tell me!” Carrie said, far more excitedly than she should have.

  “Look, shifters are, at least most of them, big on honor and doing the right thing.”

  “Uh-huh…” Carrie wasn’t following.

  “You went to him for help finding a guy who had been staying at your place, Sis. He thinks that you’re already taken by someone!”

  Carrie sat back in her chair. “Holy hell, how did I miss that one?” she said, shaking her head.

  “I don’t know, but if he’s big on being a good person, then he won’t make a move. You’ll have to find a way to tell him that you’re just trying to do the right thing by locating Angelo, even if he’s a douchebag you had broken up with.”

  Carrie rolled her eyes. “We weren’t even together! We never even slept together.” She took a deep breath to try and calm herself. “What a mistake ever inviting him over that night was.”

  Andrea laughed. “If you hadn’t, you’d never have met this guy, right?”

  “Shit. I suppose you’re right,” she said, taking another long sip of her drink. “Still, how do I convince Jarvis that Angelo and I aren’t
a thing? That I just want him found because he’s a human. An alcoholic, probably abusive dick, yes, but still a human being.”

  “I dunno. You could ask another shifter?” Andrea said, her eyes focusing behind Carrie as she spoke. “Just not that one though, yikes. Somebody is mad.”

  “What?”

  “Some shifter just walked in and sat down at the bar looking pissed as all hell. I would not bother him.”

  Carrie turned around to look.

  True enough, there was a big bulky figure in a white T-shirt sitting at the bar, his shoulders bunched up, muscles flexing and bulging as he adjusted the chair gently, so that it didn’t break under his weight.

  From the rear he looked sort of like Jarvis, she thought. But then again, a lot of them probably had the same short haircut and slightly tanned skin. Some of them were distinguishable only by the markings on the sleeves, which she’d learned was ranking.

  Jarvis’s was different from most. He had three horizontal bars and two upside down chevrons.

  Her eyes focused on the shirt, her throat going dry.

  It had the same three bars and two chevrons.

  “Jarvis?” she said softly in surprise.

  “What?” Andrea said.

  She spun around. “That’s him,” she whispered.

  “That’s who?”

  “Jarvis,” she hissed. “That’s him at the bar!”

  “Well go on then!” Andrea said without hesitation. “Go say hello.”

  “Are you nuts? You said he looked pissed!”

  Andrea opened her mouth, looking beyond her. She was going to call his name.

  Dammit!

  “Okay! Okay! Put your hand down,” she said.

  Andrea grinned. “This is working out better than I’d hoped.”

  “Screw you,” Carrie said, slipping from her chair, taking a long, slow breath in.

  Okay. You can do this, girl. It’s just Jarvis.

  Somehow, the words didn’t do anything to calm her down as her steps carried her over to the bar.

  ***